The Project
by Raniatlw
Summary: Complete. Now, being edited. Pete likes Chloe, Chloe likes Lex. Lex likes Chloe but doesn't want to rush things. Clark and Lana just like each other. Who ends up with who? Watch these five maneuver the world of relationships as they try to finish their Science Fair project at the same time. Please R&R. Pete/Chloe/Lex; Lana/Clark
1. The Assignment

**A/N2: February 2, 2013: Hey all! I'm in the process of editing and revamping all my stories, starting with the oldest published ones and working my way up. What does that mean? Plot is staying the same, wording, grammar, etc. will be cleaned up so that, in the end, all my fics have a similar style. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

A/N: Hi everyone! Here's my second Smallville story. I hope you enjoy and please read and review.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.**

**Chapter 1: The Assignment:**

* * *

Mr. Jenkins, the biology teacher who had replaced Lex's short-term wife, Desiree, stood at the front of his classroom, looking on at his twenty-two students. It was his favorite time of year, science fair time. He enjoyed seeing and was intrigued by the creativity that usually resulted from his student's.

"All right, everyone," he began. "For this assignment, you'll be working in pairs." He paused enjoying how instantly the eyes of his student's began to dart around the room, searching for the one they worked with most comfortably. He had a twist for them, though. Grinning, he added, "Of my choosing, of course." Groans sounded around the room.

Chloe watched her teacher pick up a slip of paper. He began to call out the names of her classmates. She eagerly waited to hear her own name, hoping she got one of her friends, and not one of the people she didn't really get along with.

"John and Dan; Ewan and Anna; Chloe and Pete…"

Chloe glanced over at Pete, sitting in a stool next to her. They shared a smile and a high five. The two of them worked well together, being best friends, but sometimes they had a little too much fun working on projects together, as their last biology project mark indicated. Mr. Jenkins either didn't know about their fun procrastination or was giving them the benefit of the doubt. Chloe would go with the former.

The teacher continued to call out names, enjoying each cheer and groan that resulted. Clark listened attentively for his name. Chloe and Pete were already paired so he knew he wouldn't be with either of them. Lana would be his next ideal choice, but what were the chances of that happening?

"Clark and Lana, you two are the last pair."

"What?" Clark all but exclaimed. He instantly blushed when he realized he'd voiced his surprise. Mr. Jenkins raised an eyebrow at him that had him crouching lower in his seat.

Clark caught Lana looking at him, amusedly, from the table next to his. He shot her a nervous smile; they'd be working together, alone at times. Their relationship had been a bit shaky of late. The whole Ian fiasco hadn't helped. And then, ever since Kyla and the fact that Whitney was now missing in action, he didn't really know where they stood. Or, if they could work together.

Lana gave him a bright smile that melted away most of his doubts. They'd still have to talk, considering he hadn't talked to her alone since that night she'd revealed the news about Whitney. All he really wanted to do was ask her how she was doing.

Mr. Jenkins voice snapped Clark back to reality. He quickly turned to face the front.

"Now, that you've got your partners, I'll hand out your assignments," he said as he walked up and down the aisle, passing out the assignment packages. "You'll have two weeks to complete the assignment. All the instructions are included in the info I've given you… Of course, you'll be reporting your progress to me every two days in the form of a journal. At the end of the two weeks, you will present your project at the science fair.

"For the rest of today's period, I would like you to move to sit with your partner so you can begin discussing your project."

Mr. Jenkins took his seat at his desk in front of the class. The student's took this as their cue to get moving. For a minute the class was all noise, with moving bodies, scraping chairs, and student chatter.

Before Lana could get up, Clark moved to her table. He sat down and received a cheerful, "Hey, Clark."

He eyed her carefully. He knew Lana well by now, he knew she could cover up her saddest moments with her brightest smiles from most everyone. He also knew if he looked hard enough, he'd be able to see what she was trying to hide. There it was pain in her hazel eyes.

Her smile faltered visibly and he thought it best not to confront her about it in public.

"Hey, Lana, how's it going?" Clark replied casually.

Lana knew he could tell she wasn't feeling as great as she was letting on. She could see he'd decided against talking to her about it. She was glad for that. Talking about Whitney usually led to her bursting into tears. This was another case of Clark knowing exactly what she needed most.

"Good, good," she fibbed. "Can't wait to start this project… biology _is_ my favorite subject."

He continued to scrutinize her every move; he wasn't talking about it, but he was watching her to make sure she was actually ok. She smiled at Clark to reassure him that she was all right. The news about Whitney had hit her hard, but she was doing her best to cope with it and keep going.

"Really? I prefer math," Clark added conversationally as he opened their assignment package to read. She wrinkled her nose, letting him know what she thought of math and he chuckled lightly at her gesture.

Feeling content in the moment, Lana flipped through her own hand out. But soon her expression turned from happy to disgust.

"No way am I going to dissect a pig," she protested.

Clark glanced back at the handout, trying to see what she'd seen. He couldn't help but laugh at the expression on her face and the fact that she was mistaken.

"What?" she protested, nose wrinkled once again in dislike. "What's so funny, it's disgusting?"

He shot her a comforting smile. "You read it wrong. We don't have to dissect a pig; it's just one of the projects we _could_ pick. See," he explained, leaning towards her so he could point things out on her handout. "Mr. Jenkins has a list of topics we can choose from and the pig's just one of them."

"Oh," she said weakly, chuckling at herself.

Meanwhile, at a table close by…

"Chloe, if you're going to stare at them all day, I'm going to ask Mr. Jenkins for a new partner," Pete let her know, annoyed.

Chloe was over Clark. Completely. Still, a small part of her would always be taken in by what she called "The Lana-Clark Conundrum." She knew, like everyone else, that they were meant for each other; nonetheless, it still irked her at times, seeing them together so obviously happy. It was the petty side of her that felt that way, she guessed.

_I wonder what they're laughing about…_ she thought as she scrutinized their every move and gesture.

A hand, waving in front of her face, finally drew her attention away from the brunette-haired pair. "Pete?" she questioned unsurely. "Did you say something?"

Her best friend sighed in exasperation. "Chloe, are you going to sit here all day, staring at them or are you actually going to work with me?"

Her cheeks reddened instantly at having been found out. "Sorry, Pete!" she apologized quickly. "You now have my undivided attention."

She gave him her brightest smile, trying to reassure him. For a moment, he just stared back at her stonily, but in the end, he caved, his expression melting into that indulgent-of-her smile. Pete deserved her attention, they were partners, after all. She decided, then and there, that she wasn't going to stare at Clark like a lovesick puppy any longer. Clark had Lana, and Chloe had her friend, Pete.

"Good," he said, believing her. "Now, let's get to—" The sound of the bell signaling class change, cut him off.

"Meet at my house, after school?" she inquired as she gathered up her books in a rush.

"Yeah, sure," he replied on his way out.

* * *

"So, did you want to meet at the Talon after school to work on our project?" Clark asked Lana as they headed to their next class.

"I was thinking we could meet in your loft," Lana replied. "The Talon will be packed after school. I think we might need a more private and quiet place to work."

"You're probably right," he agreed readily.

"Ok." Lana gave him a smile. "I'll see you later, then."

"See ya," Clark called back.

* * *

**Chapter 1 Edit complete. Let me know what you think!**


	2. The Meeting

**A/N2: February 20, 2013: Hey all! Sorry for the lateness of this edit. Still hoping you're enjoying.**

A/N: Well, guys here it is, the long awaited next chapter. Sorry it took me so long, I've been really busy with school. Just a few things; first, this takes place before we find out that Whitney is dead. I really hated that. Second, Pete does know of Clark's powers and Lana does live with Chloe. So here it is.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.**

**Chapter 2: The Meeting:**

* * *

As the last bell of the day rang, Clark quickly made his way out of his classroom, towards his locker, eager to get out of there, all while being ever mindful of keeping the normal speed of the people around him.

The super speed came after, when he was down the road and out of sight of the school. He needed to get to his house before Lana arrived in order to clean up the huge mess that awaited him in his loft. In a mere minute, he was home. His usual after school routine had him greeting his mom first, but there was no time. Instead, he went to the barn where he used his super speed to tidy up the loft area.

Finishing up, he glanced at his watch to see that he had a good fifteen minute head start on Lana, just enough time to head inside and visit with his mom, and dad if he was around.

Making his way over to the main house, Clark opened the door to find his mother in the kitchen, just pulling out a batch of her blueberry muffins from the oven. They smelled heavenly and his growling stomach told him lunch was too long ago.

"Hi, mom," Clark greeted warmly.

"Clark!" Martha exclaimed in surprise, looking up to shoot him a pleased smile. "You're home early."

"I've got a huge biology project to start working on," he offered up as an explanation.

Standing up straight, his mom crossed her arms, giving him a shrewd, knowing look. "Clark Kent, are _you_ telling me homework had you practically _flying_ home?"

She'd caught him out. He gave her a sheepish looking grin. "Lana's meeting me here. We're partners," he added.

"Hmm… that's what I thought," she said dryly, though the expression on her face told him she was pretty amused. He reached for a muffin causing her mother to cry out, "Clark, they're still too hot!"

Grinning, he replied, "Mom, I'm not exactly normal, remember?"

She let out a breath and rolled her eyes at her son. "How can I forget?" she said good-naturedly, giving him a smile.

Grabbing a plate, he placed a few more piping hot muffins on top. "For Lana," he explained.

"Sure, sure," she said disbelievingly. "Well, make sure you two work hard and do a good job, all right…"

"Don't worry, mom, we'll do fine," he assured.

Knowing that his loft was now presentable and that he'd have snacks for their work time, he began a slower walk towards the barn. Taking a bite of the delectable blueberry muffin he wondered to himself, _I wonder why Lana wanted to work here instead of the Talon. We've worked through the busyness before…_ Could it have been because she wanted to spend some time relatively alone with him? He had no clue… This was all pretty new to him.

He shoved that last thought out of his head. "Nah," he denied out loud. _We're just friends…_

_Still, she did say she wanted to meet in a more private place…_ his brain continued to deny.

_To work, you idiot, not for any reasons you're thinking… _

He shook his head to himself, to get the back and forth thinking out of his head. Whatever reasons Lana had, they did have a project that needed to be started first. And if he were the good student that he thought he was he'd focus on that and nothing else.

Reaching the open barn door, he stepped inside and began to take the steps two at a time. There, at the top stood Lana, looking pretty beautiful bathed by the waning light of the sun. _Lana… _he thought wistfully.

_Ok, so this focusing on work and only work mantra is going to be a lot easier said than actually done…_

She gave him a small smile in greeting before turning towards the open window to stare outside. He came to stand next to her, watching her watch the sun blazing in the last few minutes of its glory. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" she murmured.

Still watching her, he replied, "Yeah, it is…"

She turned to look at him; an expression of surprise crossed her face as she took him in. He realized suddenly that maybe he was baring too much of his feelings for her on his face and that he should rein it in.

"Uh…" he practically stuttered. "I brought muffins in case you're hungry." He held out the plate before her using it as a barrier between them.

She took the plate from his shaking hands. "Thanks," she said, smiling amusedly as she took a seat on the couch, placing the plate on the table before her.

He continued to stand by the window, unsure whether to move over next to her or continue standing there by the window. _Either way,_ he thought. _I look like an idiot._

"Lana—" he began, just as Lana said, "Clark—"

They both stopped abruptly, letting silence settle between them again. After a moment more of awkwardness, they burst out laughing.

Clark took this as his cue to take a seat. He sat down across from her, plenty of space between them. Alone now, he could ask the question he'd been dying to ask her for a while now. "How are you holding up?"

A sudden stricken look overtook her features, and he inwardly kicked himself for asking such a stupid question that had an obvious answer to it.

Lana noticed his moment of regret. She knew he was only asking her out of concern, she knew he cared about her. Reaching out a hand to touch his forearm she made to reassure him. "It's ok, Clark. I'm… hanging in there." She blew out a breath. "It's hard. I want to do something. I want to find Whitney, but… all I can really do is pray that he's found."

"I know what you mean," he responded, feeling lame. No words were particularly helpful in a situation like this, he felt.

"Anyways, in the meantime, it feels good to do normal things, you know. Go to school, be with friends, hang out—"

"—and silently hope for the best," he finished for her, seeing where she was going with this.

She smiled at him as if he were the only person in the whole world who truly got her. At the moment it sure did feel that way. "Fake it until you make it," she practically whispered.

"We're here for you, Lana. I'm here for you, whatever you need. I hope you know that," he said sincerely.

_I need _you_, Clark…_ The thought jumped into her head, seemingly out of nowhere. _Ok, not really nowhere._ It was no secret, to her at least, how she felt about the tall, dark, and handsome guy sitting next to her. Blushing at her wayward thoughts, she turned her head so Clark wouldn't notice.

When she felt the touch of his fingertips brush the underside of her chin, she couldn't help but look at him. Her eyes met his; she got caught by the look she found there in his green eyes. It was a look she knew well: one that assured her that when she really needed him he would be there for her.

"Thank you, Clark," she breathed out, giving him a shy smile as she went on. "Sometimes I wonder what I would do without you."

She should have probably added something like "and all our friends", but it wasn't true. He was the one person she could truly count on for the stuff that mattered.

Green eyes still focused on her, she was totally mesmerized by them. For a brief moment, she saw his eyes flick to her lips. _What is he thinking?_ When they re-met hers, she didn't have to wonder. At least she didn't think so; they were filled with a raw emotion she'd seen on a few of their other more intimate encounters. But this time, she thought she might have a word for it.

_Lust?_ her brain instantly put out there. _Does Clark have less than platonic thoughts about me? _She let that thought settle in her for a millisecond, feeling it out. _No. It's something deeper…_ She was almost sure of it. _Love?_ her brain once again deduced. Love? Could Clark be in love with her? She felt her cheeks heat up just at the thought of it. _No, it couldn't be; now I'm just imagining things._

She forced herself to look away from his beautiful eyes, abruptly turning for her bag.

"So we should uh probably pick something for our project," Lana said quickly, hoping she didn't sound as nervous as she felt.

Clark's response was a second too long in coming. "Yeah, sure." Chancing a look at him, she saw that he was still looking at her intensely.

"Anything but the pig dissection, though," she said jokingly, trying to lighten things up by bringing up their earlier conversation.

It worked. He let out an amused chuckle and the tension from a moment before dissolved. Or so she thought.

"I don't know, Lana… I wouldn't mind doing it just to see that cute expression you had on earlier."

Her cheeks pinked once again. _What on earth had gotten into Clark Kent?_ she thought bewilderedly. He was most certainly flirting with her, no and's, if's or, but's about it. She felt a bout of anxiety coming on. Yes, she was attracted to the dark haired guy sitting across from her, and yes, if she looked deep down she could probably say she had feelings for him. But, was she ready to delve into that? She had no clue.

Lana didn't mask her surprise one ounce, but it didn't seem to deter him either. Maybe it was because with the surprise in her expression she knew there was also a bit of intrigue in there as well.

"Lana, I—" Clark began.

Fearing she was about to be asked out by her best friend, she cut him off quickly. "So, how about we do something on plants or earthquakes or—"

Before she even finished her sentence, he was taking his turn in cutting her off. But he had a very different method in doing so.

He was kissing her! One minute she was talking and the next the guy of her dreams was pressing his lips to hers. And, oh, it felt so good!

After a few moments of letting the kiss do the talking, they pulled back to just stare at each other, a bemused, surprised expression on both their faces.

"I… I…" she started, but words were failing her at the moment.

"The earthquake project sounds pretty interesting," he said, like he didn't just kiss her like there was no tomorrow.

The grin he gave her told her what he was he thinking. It said to her in no uncertain terms, "I like you, but don't want to pressure you."

She couldn't help but feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He knew exactly what she needed. She returned his smile and said, "Yeah, the earthquake project does sound good."

* * *

Chloe pulled out the things she'd need for homework later tonight from her locker, eager to get home.

"Chloe," Pete called to her from down the hallway He closed the distance, coming to stand next to her.

"Hey," she greeted with a smile. "What's up?"

"I'm going to be late," Pete informed, looking sheepish. "I kind of got a detention with Peterson. He gave me just enough time to let you know. I've got to be back quick or he'll double it."

"Oh, all right," she said, giving him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "What did you do?"

"I laughed when his wig fell off into the trash can," Pete said, seemingly annoyed with himself.

Chloe chuckled lightly. Mr. Peterson was desperate for everyone to believe that the rug was his real hair. One day she wished she'd have the guts to tell him he looked better without it. That wasn't happening anytime soon. "Poor Mr. Peterson," she said, feeling his pain. "How long are you going to be?"

"An hour, I hope," he replied.

"Ok, come on over whenever you're done," she let him know.

He agreed quickly and waved bye to her as he rushed to make his detention. Chloe would go home and prepare for his arrival. They'd need snacks, lots of them. And maybe she'd do a preemptive cleanse of all her gaming systems—their chief form of procrastination. Yeah, that was probably a good idea.

* * *

**And that is it for this edit. Once again, I hope you liked, and I hope you'll leave me a little review. Thanks!**

Original ending A/N: That's it for now. Please R&R! One more thing, would you guys like to see Chloe and Pete together or Chloe and Lex together? I'm just wondering which one you guys prefer. Thanks!


	3. An Unexpected Encounter

**A/N2: February 23, 2013: Another edit! Hope you like!**

A/N: It's been so long since I updated, but I'm in the process of updating all my stories and this was next on my list! Anyways this going to be a little short but I'll update quicker than usual. Please read and review!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.**

**Chapter 3: An Unexpected Encounter:**

* * *

Arriving home in record time, Chloe climbed out of her car and walked up to her house. The door was open, so she pulled open the screen door and stepped inside. Hanging up her jacket in the front closet, Chloe called out, "Dad, I'm home!"

Eager to prepare for Pete's arrival, she made her way into the living room, backpack swung over one shoulder. But instead of getting right down to business she froze on spot.

There, sitting on her living room couch, was none other than Lex Luthor.

Her eyes wide with surprise, she asked, "Mr. Luthor, what are you doing here and where's my father?"

Lex gave her a polite smile, answering, "He had to run out and make some copies of a document I need; he should be back any minute now."

She nodded her head in understanding; she dropped her bag right there, and made her way across the room to the kitchen, feeling self-conscious all the sudden.

"And please," Lex started to add, standing up, "I think by now you can call me Lex; you did after all get thrown out of my window."

Chloe could tell he was attempting to make a joke; she tried her best to laugh it off. "Please, don't remind me. I still get nightmares over it."

She froze. She hadn't meant to reveal such a personal detail. Her mouth dropped open as she tried to think of something to say to cover up her slip-up. Faltering, she shot him a tight smile instead as she tried to move around him to get to the stairs.

Lex totally caught her off guard when he suddenly grabbed hold of her arm, whirling her around to face him.

"I am so sorry about what happened to you, Chloe," Lex said, being completely sincere. His eyes caught hold of hers, holding her in place. "Did I ever make it up to you?"

"Well, you did get me those nice Kentucky Derby flowers," Chloe replied, trying for a smile but failing. They were so close now, mere inches apart. _When did that happen?_

"Flowers? That's all? What was I thinking?" he said, disappointed in himself. "What if I were to make it up to you now? Better late than never, I say… If I'm remembering right, we never did finish up that interview, did we?"

She shook her head, confirming his suspicions. Words weren't coming to her at the moment.

"All right, then, how about you come over to the mansion tomorrow? We can finish what we started," Lex suggested.

"Uh… s—sure… I mean, all right," she stuttered out, annoyed that his closeness had this effect on her. At the same time, she didn't relish the idea of him moving away, either.

There was something about Lex Luthor that had her leaning in closer to the man. A charisma, a charm about him that had her mesmerized. He didn't let go of her yet and she didn't mind one bit. His eyes took her in with an intensity that had shivers running down her spine.

And that is exactly how Pete found them, when he walked inside the small living room.

"Chloe, sorry I took so…" Her friend trailed off as he took in the pair of them and their proximity to one another. He froze in spot, in total shock.

* * *

**That's it for this one. Hope you enjoyed and I hope you'll let me know what you think, thanks! **

Original ending A/N: That's it for now, more to come with more Lex/Chloe/Pete and some Clark/Lana. Sorry about the no Clark and Lana, the next chapter will definitely have them!

Thanks for reading. Please review!


	4. Back to Work

**A/N2: February 23, 2013: Edit #2 of the day! Hope you like!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.**

**Chapter 4: Back to Work:**

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Clark began, looking to Lana for guidance, "Photosystem two comes before photosystem one?"

Lana shot him a bit of an exasperated smile; she'd explained it to him again, for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Yes, Clark, that's right," she assured.

After sharing that heart-stopping kiss, they'd gotten right down to work and so far had gone non-stop on their science project. Well, it had been non-stop until they got to the subject of photosynthesis.

Shooting her perplexed look, she could predict his next question easily. "Why is it called photosystem two then?"

"Because… I don't know, maybe it wasn't discovered first or something," Lana answered. She wasn't even a hundred percent sure on that one.

"And there are light and dark reactions? But, I thought photosynthesis needs light?" Clark asked, completely bewildered by the process. Lana could tell someone hadn't been doing their readings.

She couldn't help it, she let out a little laugh. "Why don't we stop for the day? It's almost dinner time. And, besides, _you_," she paused, grabbing his biology text book to put in his lap, "need to get some major reading done."

Clark groaned out loud at the thick text.

"We can meet again tomorrow, get started on the plans, ok?"

She stood up and gathered her things, ready to leave.

"Sure," Clark replied lamely. He planted his hands in his pockets giving her a nervous look.

They stood there for a second, each running out of things to say, with only one thing on both their minds: the kiss.

"Well, um…" Lana stuttered out. "See ya tomorrow, Clark."

She gave him a nervous smile and started for the stairs quickly. He followed and stood at the foot of them, mumbling out his quick reply as he watched her go, "Yeah, see ya tomorrow…"

* * *

"Pete!" Chloe cried out. She jumped out of Lex's grasp and moved as far away from his closeness as she possible could. "You're here!"

The grimace on his face told her that her best friend had not glossed over her former position next to the billionaire playboy. "Yeah, I'm here," he answered gruffly. "What's he doing here?"

"Hello, Pete," Lex greeted with a polite smile on his face. "How are you today?"

Pete managed a mumbled out response back, but that seemed to be the extent of his communication with her dad's boss.

"Lex was just waiting for my dad to get back," Chloe said, pointedly, attempting to grab the young man's attention. Thankfully, she heard a car door slam just then. "And look at that, that must be him."

She put a hand to Lex's shoulder and practically started to push him towards the door. "Have a nice day, Lex." She began to turn back to the living room, letting out a relieved breath.

But, he was following her back, saying the most disconcerting thing, "What time did you want to come over tomorrow?"

"What?" she blurted out, aware of Pete's eyes hard on her. "Oh, uh, yeah, tomorrow… Is four ok?"

"Four is perfect," he assured, giving her a bright smile. "I look forward to it."

He shot her a knowing wink before turning to go greet her father. Chloe stood there watching his receding form. _He so has a nice form,_ she thought wistfully.

Still in the midst of daydreaming—_hmm… I wonder how he'd look without all those pesky clothes?_— it took her a moment more to realize someone was calling her name.

"Chloe? Earth to Chloe?" Pete called out.

It was only when he began to snap fingers in front of her face that she came out of her Lex-induced coma. "Pete!" she exclaimed in surprise, remembering only a moment later that he'd arrived.

Seeing the frown on his face, she braced herself for the Lex-bashing that was sure to come.

"Ready to get to work?" he asked her, throwing her for a loop.

"Um… sure," she replied. She eyed him warily, not letting her guard down. Pete didn't usually pass up the chance to tear Lex down a pet or two. "So, what are we going to do?"

He shot her a mischievous smile. "The pig project sounds fun."

Chloe gagged in disgust. "No way! Next!"

Laughing at her, he asked, "What about earthquakes, then?"

She gave it a thought. "Sure, sounds good."

Pete started to move towards the stairs, they always worked in her bedroom. She started after him, quickly. "Now, we can't goof off this time, all right? We need a good mark or else."

He shot her a look over his shoulder. "I know what you mean. If I don't ace this project I'm done for."

She gave him a sympathetic smile, knowing Judge Ross could be a bit of a taskmaster.

He plopped himself on her bed and Chloe joined him giving him a happy smile. He seemed to have totally forgotten about Lex. "Let's get to work," she exclaimed determinedly.

A few hours later…

"Chloe," she heard her dad call up the stairs. "Dinner will be ready soon."

"Ok, dad!" she called back. She turned to Pete with a questioning look. "Want to stay for dinner?"

"Rain check? My mom's making lasagna, can't miss it," she nodded her head. She knew how much he loved his mom's cooking. "I guess I should get going."

She helped him pack up his things, following him down the stairs and to the door. Hand on the door, he turned to look at her. "Same time tomorrow?"

Frowning, she hated that she was about to bring up Lex and quite possibly bring out Pete's hateful side. "Actually," she began tentatively, "Can we make it after dinner? I sort of have a meeting…"

"With _Luthor_?" Pete said with disgust. She nodded, cringing as she waited for the not-so-nice Lex remarks to come.

But, once again, none came.

"Yeah…" she said slowly. "I'm interviewing Lex."

"Oh, ok," he said looking at her affectionately. "Seven, all right?" She nodded. "Ok, I'll expect you here in one piece at seven. Be careful; no falling out of windows, all right?"

She gave him a smile. "Don't worry, Pete, I'll be careful."

Chloe watched him go, pleased with the new leaf Pete seemed to be turning.

* * *

**That's it for this one. Any comments are appreciated. Thanks to anyone who's been reading and reviewing!**


	5. The Talk

**A/N2: March 2, 2013: Another edit. Hope you like!**

A/N: Hi guys! So I'm updating again, so soon! I only got one review for the last chapter but I hope that was because was down. I hope I get more reviews! So please enjoy and read and review! Thanks!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.**

**Chapter 5: The Talk:**

* * *

Lana walked into the Sullivan home, practically on cloud nine, careful, though, not to show it too much.

As she dropped her bag on the floor, she called out, "Hey, guys!"

No one responded, and when she walked into the living room there was no one in sight.

"Anyone home?" she tried again.

"In here," Chloe yelled back. It sounded like they were in the dining room.

She made her way there and found both Chloe and Mr. Sullivan already sitting at the table. "Did I miss dinner?"

"Nope, you're just in time. Here," Mr. Sullivan said, as he handed her a plate and then gestured at the spaghetti they were having.

She sat down, pouring herself a plate. Lana ate slowly, idly listening to the father-daughter talk, only really speaking when spoken to. She was too immersed in her own thoughts to make any real useful contribution.

Later, after dinner, Lana and Chloe went upstairs to do their homework in Chloe's room. They were on the verge of finishing up their algebra homework when Chloe decided to ask a semi-loaded question.

"So, how did things go with Clark?"

Lana couldn't help it; the thought of Clark had her instantly blushing as she relived the kiss once again.

"That good, huh?" Chloe said, a little grudgingly.

Chloe's feelings for Clark were a mixed bag. On the one hand, she still thought he was super-hot and could still easily see herself falling into his arms. On the other hand, his complete and utter devotion to Lana, and all things Lana soured her to him.

The thing was, Chloe really didn't want the farm-boy anymore, but it was still hard for her to think of Lana being with Clark. Yes, she was jealous. _I'm human, so sue me…_ she thought, somewhat miserably.

"What do you mean?" Lana delayed, fidgeting nervously. She looked everywhere but at Chloe, closing her books, getting ready to leave.

Lana knew that Chloe still had some kind of feelings for Clark; it was pretty obvious. You could see it when she snuck secret looks of longing at the guy. But, Lana also knew that the two broke it off, whatever it had been.

The truth was Lana liked Clark, a lot. She really wanted to be with him. And after today she could believe that they could be together, but she really didn't want to hurt Chloe and possibly lose her friendship.

Seeing the confliction on her friend's face, Chloe decided to drop it. "Never mind," she said quickly.

Lana was one of her best friends; ever since she'd come to live with her and her dad, she'd become like the sister she'd never had. It was nice. She didn't want to lose that. Not over a guy. _Even if the guy was a major hottie…_ she thought whimsically.

Chloe was determined to put Clark out of her mind and move on with her life. End of that story, beginning of many, hopefully great, new ones.

_Plenty of fish in the sea…_ she mused. _Lex Luthor would be a prized catch._

Surprised at her meandering thoughts—she had no clue how she'd gone from lamenting over Clark, to lusting after Lex—it must have shown on her face, though. Lana gave her a strange look, but before she could comment, Chloe brought herself back to reality.

"So what project did you two pick?"

"The plant one, but we haven't worked out the details yet. Clark needs to do some major reading," Lana replied, after a beat. "What happened with you and Pete?"

Thinking about Pete and the project inevitably led her to think about the almost disaster she'd avoided earlier today. She couldn't help thinking about Lex… about herself and Lex, about them together, alone at his mansion…

Shaking her head at herself, Chloe made a quick mental note to herself to get Lex out of her head. _He's so out of your league, Chloe!_

"Chloe?" Lana prompted, and she realized she'd been quiet for too long.

Blushing, she answered, "Oh, yeah, we chose earthquakes. You know, after Pete suggested the pig," she answered, leaving Lex out of the picture.

Lana laughed. "Clark suggested it too; I almost threw up at the idea…"

Chloe smiled, knowing exactly how she felt.

"Hey, here's an idea… Would you and Pete want to meet up with Clark and I at the library after school? We can all research together."

Chloe held back her grimace, still trying to pull off an air of nonchalance. She shook her head. "We're meeting pretty late; I've got something to do after school," Chloe replied, hoping Lana wouldn't ask just what that something was.

Her hopes dashed, Lana asked, "What?"

She really didn't want to answer, but if she didn't it would make her meeting with Lex a bigger deal than it actually was. After all, she was only interviewing him. Yeah, _him_: billionaire, hottie, play-boy.

Gulping down her trepidation, she answered, "I have a meeting with Lex."

"You've got a date with Lex Luthor!" Lana exclaimed suddenly, causing Chloe to instantly groan.

* * *

**That's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed!**

Old A/N: I hope you guys liked it! I know Lana was being unusually noisy.

I also got a review about Chloe that said "don't turn her into a jealous Lana-hating-Clark-obsesses-bitch" from Akemi Akibi. So I hope I didn't do that.

Now please press that little button down there and review! Thanks!


	6. An Interview and a date

**A/N2: March 17, 2013: Here's another edit, hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.**

**Chapter 6: An Interview and a date:**

* * *

Chloe sat waiting in Lex's mansion office after his assistant had shown her in. The whole day had gone by in a complete blur. She wasn't sure if that was because of its complete tediousness or if she was just super anxious to get to Lex's that her nervousness had made everything fuzzy.

After twenty minutes of complete solitude in the huge room, Chloe got fed up with sitting in her chair, hands in her lap, like a good little girl. Patience and Chloe were two things never associated with one another. She stood up and began to explore the many facets of Lex's office.

Her hand skimmed over the spines of his book collection on the shelves behind his desk. She pulled out one that caught her eye and began to flip through the pages. Her fascination with the text had her unaware that Lex had actually walked into the room just then.

Chloe was so absorbed in her reading that she didn't notice him coming inside to stand next to her.

"You like Shakespeare?"

His voice startled her. Quickly, she turned around, book in hand, feeling like she'd just been caught red-handed.

"Lex!" Chloe exclaimed. She took a moment to calm her fast beating heart. "I was uh… starting to think you weren't going to show."

"Now, why would I do something like that?" he questioned.

"Hmm… I don't know, maybe you've got something to hide?"

She let him think on that as she turned around to replace the book on his shelf, a self-satisfied grin on her face.

Lex came around to stand next to her, drawing her gaze off the shelf to meet his. His blue eyes eyed her shrewdly, but with something else… a hint of amusement. "Me?" he started, pulling off the book she'd just replaced, letting it fall open. "I'm an… open book. I have nothing to hide…"

She had to laugh at that; moving around him, she took the seat in front of his desk, looking up at him expectantly. "Lex, everybody has something to hide."

He took his chair behind his desk. "Right… So, Chloe, what are your little secrets?" he inquired in a low, husky voice.

If Chloe didn't know any better, she'd say that Lex was attempting his powers of seduction on her right then. His eyes on her surely made her feel like the only woman in the world, just then.

Gulping down his effect on her, she tried for nonchalance as she replied, "Nice try, Lex, but you're the one being interviewed here, not me."

He gave her a smirk of a smile that had her heart racing all over again, before waving a hand in front of him for her to go on. "Fine, fine, can't waste my favorite reporters time, now can I?" he teased.

Chloe noted the 'favorite reporter' comment, blushing slightly. His grin grew at her obvious reaction. "Uh… yeah, yeah… umm shall we get started?"

She wanted to slap her forehead at her blatant show of his effect on her. She felt like she was in middle school again, with a crush on the… older unattainable boy. _Oh no?_ she thought quickly. _I've got a crush on Lex!_

Oblivious to her inner turmoil, Lex nodded for her to go ahead. "Ask away…"

Her eyes met his, trying to gauge what he knew. He was smiling at her self-assuredly, like he did know something, but Chloe comforted herself in the fact that that was just how he always looked. Clicking on the digital-recorder she'd brought with her, she decided to go on, business as usual. So, she thought the guy was hot, so what?

"Chloe?" Lex prompted.

She looked up to see him watching her, considering her; _Yeah, Chloe, he doesn't know… but keep this up and he'll soon find out…_

She shook herself out of her daze and said, "Sorry… What do you have to say about the accusation that your plant is responsible for the pollution of the river and…"

Thoughts of hotness and crushes put aside, there began their verbal judo.

* * *

_Back at school ~ ~_

Grabbing some books from her locker, Lana heard someone say, "Hey," in greeting from close by. She closed her locker door and found Clark had standing behind it, grinning from ear to ear.

A big smile on her face she replied, "Hi, Clark."

"Ready to continue working on our project?" he asked her conversationally.

She gave him a mock-scolding look. "Not until you tell me you've read the textbook…" Her face broke into a grin as she waited for a response.

"Cover to cover," he replied proudly, making her giggle.

"Good, _now_ I'm ready to work."

He shared her laugh and they started to walk off down the halls of the school.

"So, where to? Library, the Talon, or my loft?" he wondered out loud.

"We're good on books, I think, so… either the Talon or your loft?" she replied, hoping for the latter. She enjoyed one-on-one time with him.

"My loft?" he answered, unsure but hoping it was the right choice.

"Sounds good to me." She gave him a cheerful looking smile.

Deciding on driving up to Clark's house right away, they arrived quickly in separate cars and got down to business immediately.

They both silently marveled at how there were no uncomfortable silences, no awkwardness, just smooth, steady work. It was fun.

Lana finally noticed the time around six and noted that they'd been working for a solid two hours. They'd ace this project, surely, if they kept up this kind of work ethic.

"I should go," she stated regretfully. "Almost dinnertime…"

"Why don't you have dinner with us?" he asked her hopefully, wanting to extend their time together.

"I'd love to, but I can't. Chloe and her dad are expecting me," she explained.

"Oh ok," he said, attempting to contain his disappointment, but apparently failing miserably.

For once, Lana looked at Clark and knew exactly what he felt. It was rare, so she quickly added, "Maybe you and I can have dinner together tomorrow night?" She spoke quickly, scared of being rejected. "And see a movie, too?"

Likewise it was also rare for Lana to be so forward; Clark was taken aback. He was seeing a different side of Lana and he found that he liked it.

Smiling at her, he speedily answered, "Sure, that sounds good!"

"All right, then I'll pick you up at six pm, ok?" she asked.

"Ok," he replied, one-word answers being all he could suddenly muster.

She picked up her books and put them into her bag as he watched her silently. She stood up straight, facing him again. She looked at him expectantly, but when he didn't say anything she moved towards the stairs.

"Ok then," she said.

"Ok," he replied. He wanted to slap his forehead at his sudden dumbness. _Come on, Clark, say something else,_ he mentally scolded.

Lana, noticing that they could go on like this forever, took it upon herself to initiate the goodbyes. "See ya." She gave him a quick wave and started down the stairs.

Clark watched her go, this time actually slapping a hand to his forehead. _Lana practically asks me on a date and all I can say is 'ok'? _

Still, he smiled, when she stopped before the barn to look up at him.

_Still, tomorrow's going to be a great Saturday…_ he thought to himself.

Lana smiled up at the plaid clad guy. _I just asked Clark Kent on a date!_ she thought excitedly, amazed by her actions.

* * *

**Hope you liked. Hope you'll let me know what you think with a review. **


	7. Come to dinner

**A/N2: March 17, 2013: No Lana/Clark in this one, don't worry they'll reappear soon. Happy St. Patrick's Day, by the way.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.**

**Chapter 7: Come to Dinner:**

* * *

****"All right, that's everything I need, for now," Chloe concluded, clicking off her recorder.

She had covered everything she could think of, from Lex's shady past, to his business dealings with his father and even a little about the current state of his love life. She wanted the full story on Lex Luthor.

"For now?" he questioned with a lively smirk on his face.

"Well, if I think of something else I'll be sure to come ask you," was her reply.

"And how do you know I'll let you see me again," Lex teased.

She gave him a certain smile. "You wouldn't turn away your favorite reporter, now would you?" she teased back.

Their banter bordered on flirting, she suddenly realized as she noticed his eyes shining brighter than before.

"Ah… so now you know my deepest, darkest secret," he replied with a mock wounded tone.

"Hardly." She decided to rein it in a bit; still, she couldn't help but laugh.

She stood up abruptly, the warm fuzzy feeling in the pit of her stomach, slightly disconcerting, and stuck her hand out for him to shake. _Formal. Formal was good._

For a second, he stared at her outstretched hand as if shaking it was the last thing on his mind, other things at the top of his list. But the blip of hesitance was gone just as quick and he took her hand to shake.

"Mr. Luthor, it's been a pleasure," she said reverting into business mode. Alarmed by the way his touch caused her skin to tingle.

"Believe me, Miss. Sullivan, the _pleasure_ is all mine," he said, the word 'pleasure' smoothly rolling off his tongue.

He watched her intently, almost knowingly, like he knew how much she had enjoyed their afternoon together. She blushed under his gaze. It turned to wonder a moment later, and a second after that she knew why.

"Why don't you stay for dinner? I'm sure my cook has prepared more than enough for two, and I hate eating alone," he proposed.

His blue eyes held her firmly in place; she didn't think she could move, even if she wanted to. And she _so_ did not want to. A voice deep down told her to say yes, that she wouldn't regret it.

"Sure, okay," she agreed breathlessly, anything else on her mind, gone for now.

He smiled, pleased. "Good, dinner is served in half an hour," he informed her.

Lex let go of the hand that he'd still been holding; she felt its loss acutely. She watched him walk over to his minibar, opening the little refrigerator to pull out a blue bottle of water. "What would you like to drink?"

"Water is fine." He handed her a bottle and she quickly took a cooling sip. "Uh… I should probably phone my dad, let him know that I won't be home for dinner…"

He nodded for her to go ahead. She walked back towards Lex's desk, where her backpack sat on the unused chair. She pulled her bright yellow cell phone from her bag, dialing for home.

"Hello?"

"Hi Dad," she said.

"Chlo? What's up?" he wondered.

She took a deep breath, bracing herself. "I won't be home for dinner," she said.

"How come? Where are you right now?"

"I'm at Lex's, remember? He asked me to stay for dinner," she explained, hoping her reasonable tone, would keep her dad calm.

No such luck.

"What?" Mr. Sullivan exclaimed.

"Like I just said, we finished up the interview and then I was invited to stay for dinner," she repeated.

She threw a worried look over her shoulder at Lex; he was clearly listening in curiously. She so should have stepped outside to take this call, she realized.

"Chloe…" her dad began warningly.

"Relax, dad, I'll be home by nine, all right?" she said. At his unhappy sigh, she added, "It's just food."

"Fine, nine pm, not a second later, got it?

"Got it. See ya later." She hung up and once again braced herself, unsure of what Lex's reaction to the phone call would be.

She turned around to gauge his mood. His face was blank… no, not blank, just neutral. But upon closer inspection she thought she detected a hint of amusement there, too.

"Dad doesn't want you hanging out with the boss, does he?" he asked, knowingly.

* * *

**And that's another edit, done.**


	8. Dinner and a Movie

**A/N2: March 29, 2013: Another mostly Chlex chapter, hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.**

**Chapter 8 Dinner and a Movie:**

* * *

Chloe threw Lex an anxious look. She didn't want him to think her dad thought badly of him, he didn't of course. Her dad was just a big worrywart.

"Oh no, it's not that," Chloe said quickly. "He just thinks I'm annoying you, that's all. And I'm not, am I?" She looked at him intently once again unsure.

"Of course not, remember, I asked you to stay for dinner…" he reminded, waving it all off. He quickly changed the subject. "So... we've about fifteen minutes to kill before dinner. You sure you don't have any more questions?"

Grateful that he was ready to put her dad's reaction past him so quickly, she dropped her cell phone back in her bag and joined him by the bar.

She thought for a second, a big grin overcame her face. "Just one… what is your favorite food?"

* * *

After reluctantly leaving Clark back at his loft, Lana had made it home just in time for dinner with the Sullivan's. But upon her arrival, she was surprised to see only one Sullivan there. Greeting Chloe's father, Lana asked curiously, "Where's Chloe?" Lana asked curiously.

Mr. Sullivan grimaced, clearly displeased about something. "She's having dinner with Lex Luthor," he said grudgingly.

"Dinner? With Lex? She never mentioned that to me," Lana replied, confused as to when this had come about.

Letting out a sigh, he answered, "I gather it was a last minute update."

* * *

"Thank you, Lex, that was delicious," Chloe stated graciously as the table they were sitting at was being cleared.

"I'm glad you liked it," he replied with warmth.

The man was eliciting all kinds of feelings inside of her, none of which she could name or put a finger on. She had no clue what to do now that dinner was over. Struggling with the situation internally, she said the first thing that popped into her mind, "Well, I guess I should probably get going now."

Lex didn't say anything right away, so she continued to sit there. Instead, he stood up and walked down to her end of the table. She eyed him suspiciously as he did so.

Stopping there, he leaned forward slightly and asked, "What's the hurry? Don't you know, you're supposed to wait half an hour before running off…"

Chuckling, she said, "I'm pretty sure that's swimming, Lex."

"Swimming, running, same difference… Stay a bit longer," he urged. "I'm sure you wouldn't want to leave before you got a tour of the mansion, now would you?"

Chloe looked at him with uncertainty. It seemed like he really wanted her company, enjoyed it even, that was pretty mind-boggling. "Um… all right, a tour would be nice."

"Good, it's settled then," he replied assuredly. The next thing Chloe knew, Lex had sidled up to her. "I thought we might start with the recreation rooms and go from there…"

Chloe just looked at him like he was nuts. On the other hand, she thought that she might actually have a good time. So she went along, completely forgetting she was supposed to meet Pete.

_Later ~ ~_

Chloe and Lex didn't make it farther than the movie theater room. That was because once Chloe had seen all the movies housed there, the urge to watch one was too hard to resist. And when Lex casually mentioned that he hadn't watched any of them Chloe was so shocked she asked, "Then why do you have a movie room?"

"For guests, of course." He'd stated it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Chloe shook her head at him. "You are so deprived," she replied sadly.

"Me, _deprived_?" Lex looked extremely amused. He was sure there was not a person on Earth that would agree with her current statement, that he was underprivileged.

"Yes, deprived." Without even knowing what she was doing, she switched into her bossy mode. The one she used while working in The Torch that also slipped into her everyday life once in a while. "Now, you sit here," she said, pushing him into a chair. "I'm going to pick out a movie and _you are_ going to watch the whole thing."

"What movie?" he asked her suspiciously.

She turned from the shelf full of DVD's, raising an eyebrow at him. "Any movie I choose," she said definitely.

Lex considered her 'offer' for a moment and then said, "Ok… _But_, only if you watch it with me."

Chloe looked over her shoulder, giving him a surprised look that quickly melted into one of pleasure. She easily conceded a second later. "Deal."

Pleased with himself, tonight was shaping up to be quite a night. "All right, then," he added into the silence as she considered his collection carefully. He got out of his seat which Chloe noticed immediately.

"What do you think you're doing? We had a deal remember?"

He held up his hands in surrender. "We do… I haven't been to the movies in a while, but isn't popcorn and soda part of the movie watching tradition?" he asked smirking.

"Oh, yeah, sure," she replied, sheepishly.

So, Lex made the arrangements for the snacks while Chloe picked out a movie. When he came back, she held up the movie she'd chosen and Lex read the title slowly, "Rush… Hour?"

"Yep," she answered perkily. "And if you're good we just might watch Rush Hour 2."

He chuckled lightly and they sat down for the movie.

* * *

_Meanwhile ~ ~_

"Are you sure, Pete?" Lana asked him. "I know Chloe and I know she wouldn't have stood you up if she knew you were coming."

"Yeah, I'm sure," he answered, totally irked. "She told me to come over after dinner."

"Well, I guess she forgot," Lana replied sympathetically. "Sorry, Pete."

He let out a sigh. "That's ok, Lana. I just hope she's all right; alone at Luthor's house and all."

"She's fine. Don't worry about her. I'll let her know you came by, though."

"Yeah, you do that," Pete said and stepped out of the house.

When the door shut behind him he stood on the doorstep and said to himself, "I sure hope you have a good excuse for this, Chloe."

Then he walked off the steps to his latest car.

* * *

**That's it for this one. Hope you enjoyed. And hope you'll let me know what you think. Thanks!**

Old A/N: Well I hope you liked it. Not my best, but better than nothing. More to come really soon.

So does anyone want me to focus on just Chole and Lex and add a little Lana/Clark. Or should I continue with the way I'm writing it?

Thanks for all the great reviews!

And feedback is much appreciated.

Thanks!


	9. A Little Jackie Goes a Long Way

**A/N2: March 29, 2013: More Chlex goodness. **

Old A/N: I'm sorry for leaving you guys hanging, again. I don't have writers block, it's just that I really don't feel like writing anything lately. But I'm still trying. Anyways, here's a little chapter for you guys. It's short but it should satisfy the Chlex fans.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.**

**Chapter 9: A Little Jackie Goes a Long Way:**

* * *

Chloe clicked off the TV as the credits started to roll by. She had a big smile on her face. She loved the Rush Hour franchise. Actually, she loved anything Jackie Chan related.

"That was definitely different," Lex commented.

Turning in her comfy, reclining chair, she spared a glance his face and found that he looked confused.

"Different good, right?" Chloe asked; _as if it could be anything but_, she mentally scoffed.

"I don't know," he answered unsurely.

Chloe gawked at him; she didn't know how he couldn't outright admit to its awesomeness. Watching him during the movie, she could tell that he was so into it.

"Oh, come on," she countered loudly. "I heard you; you were laughing your head off through both movies. Admit it, Rush Hour 1 and 2 are your favorite movies of all time."

Grinning from ear to ear, she knew she was pushing it with the 'favorite movie of all time' stuff, but she was having fun.

He smiled back at her. "Of course, they're my absolute favorite. I don't know what I was thinking," he mocked. She chuckled, appreciating that he was playing along with her. "Tell me about this Jackie Chan person? I've never heard of him?"

"Are you kidding?" Chloe's mouth dropped open as she pointed to the shelf full of hundreds of DVD's. "What are you talking about? You've got all his movies right there, even the Chinese ones."

"Really?" Lex said with wide eyes.

She threw her hands up in the air dramatically. "This is ridiculous! A man who doesn't even know who Jackie Chan is? I am so making you watch all his movies!" Chloe exclaimed. "Jackie Chan's got to be the best martial arts/stunt person ever!"

He smirked at her in a patient sort of way. "Well then, you remember the deal we made, right?"

Her face scrunched up in confusion. "What deal?"

"If I watch them, you have to watch with me," he stated, matter-of-fact-ly.

"Uh uh, that deal was just for now," Chloe argued.

"Does the thought of spending more time in my presence disgust you that much?" he asked, his tone clearly one of amusement.

He was joking, still Chloe couldn't help thinking, _Nope, just the opposite…_

Shivers ran down her spine at just thought of spending more time with him.

"Fine, you're on. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be listing all Mr. Chan's movies in chronological order with plot summaries," she issued smugly.

Putting a finger to her chin, she stared up into space wondering where they'd go next, movie-wise. "Hmm... I think we'll start with Jackie Chan's First Strike and go from there…"

"That's its title," Lex asked incredulously.

"Yep, it's a classic," she replied.

The look on his face told her just how classic he thought it was. "Chloe, a classic is something like Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet… or the Godfather," he scolded her.

"We can watch those too, but we start with Jackie," she said with finality.

Lex chuckled, shaking his head at her in wonder.

Chloe glanced at her watch to see that it was past eleven. "Oh wow, is that the time. I'm late. Way late."

She stood up quickly, looking for her things. "I've got to go," Chloe announced regretfully. She grabbed her bag and jacket, about to make a run for it. She sure hoped her dad hadn't noticed her lateness.

In her flurry, Lex stood calmly to the side. "So, how about Sunday?" he inquired, stopping her in her tracks.

"Sunday?" She spared him an unsure look on her way to the door.

"Yeah, we can have dinner again… if you want… and then watch this movie of yours."

He gave her a smile then that was a mix of hopefulness and pleasure, all for her. The smile just about melted her insides.

"Sure, Sunday sounds good." She couldn't help the bit of blush that came to her cheeks as his blue eyed gaze held her on spot.

"All right," he said slowly.

He walked with her in silence towards the front of his house. When they reached the door, he even stepped outside with her, escorting her to her car.

"I look forward to Sunday," he told her sincerely.

"Me too," Chloe replied, voice breathy.

Another second later, she was holding her hand out to him, reverting back to business mode. "So, I'll see you then, Mr. Luthor."

He took her hand and shook it, giving it a little squeeze; the contact sent ripples of pleasure up and down her body. "It's been a pleasure, Miss. Sullivan."

Not being able to stick to the seriousness, Chloe laughed and said, "See ya, Lex!" driving away with a happy smile on her face.

* * *

**And 2nd edit of the day, done.**

Old A/N: Well there it is. Really short isn't it. I'll try to update really soon.

Thanks for all the great reviews! A number of you want more Clark and Lana. So I'll definitely get some more of them in it. And more Pete too! Because this story isn't just a Chlex, it's about all of them.

Please review and let me know what you think!

Thanks!


	10. Shock

**A/N2: March 29, 2013: Another edit bringing you a fun/cute little family scene at the Sullivan's. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.**

**Chapter 10: Shock:**

* * *

Chloe had so hoped that her father would be fast asleep by the time she got home. It's not that she didn't want to see him; it was just that she wasn't keen on fielding any uncomfortable questions. But, no such luck. As she tiptoed into the living room, she found her carefulness was unnecessary. Both her father and Lana were waiting up for her.

Her father, sitting at the kitchen table, looked up from the papers he'd been reading and eyed her emotionlessly. "Well?"

Chloe decided to play the innocence card. "Well, what?" she said, shrugging her shoulders as if she had no clue what he could possibly be hinting at.

If Lana's incredulous, laughing snort was any indication, her act wasn't good enough. Still, she gave her friend a glare, not appreciating her amusement. Lana shrugged her shoulders, going to the fridge for some milk.

"_Well_… you're late," her dad answered bluntly. "What's your excuse, young lady?"

Chloe held her hands up in a placating gesture, beginning her tale. "We had dinner and it was great… but, then, Lex asked if I wanted a tour of his mansion. And of course I said yes. Only, we never made it past his—"

"Oh, God!" her dad cut her off loudly, putting a hand up for her to stop. "Please don't say it. I don't want to know."

Chloe and Lana gaped at her father before she finally opened her mouth to finish. "—his home theater room, _dad_." At her dad's blatant sigh of relief, she added, "Geez, what did you think I was going to say?"

"Nothing, nothing at all," Mr. Sullivan replied, his red cheeks a dead giveaway of his embarrassment.

Lana chuckled into the tension, earning herself a glare from the two Sullivan's. "What?" she protested lightly.

"Anyways," Chloe deliberately ignored her best friend. "We ended up watching some movies and I totally lost track of the time."

"All right, I'll let it slide this once," Mr. Sullivan conceded. "But, next time you need to be home when you say you'll be home."

"Thanks. And I'm sorry, dad," she finished sheepishly; she really did have the best dad in the world.

He gave her a smile as she closed the distance to give him a goodnight kiss. "Now, you two should probably get to bed."

"Goodnight," Chloe and Lana said in unison.

They climbed the stairs to the second floor. Instead of Lana going to her own room, Chloe found her following her into her room.

"Um… what are you doing?" Chloe asked.

Lana didn't answer right away. She pushed Chloe the rest of the way in and shut the door behind them.

"So, what really happened?" asked Lana, as she flopped onto Chloe's messy bed.

Chloe joined her when she realized she wasn't about to get rid of her just yet. "Exactly what I said happened. We did the interview, had dinner and then watched some movies," she said, exasperated. "Practically nothing."

"Practically nothing, huh? It sure must have been something if you forgot about your study meeting with Pete," Lana stated nonchalantly.

"Oh crap!" Chloe exclaimed, slapping a hand to her forehead in disbelief. "I completely forgot."

"Well, he didn't. He came over. And he wasn't too happy when he found out you weren't here," Lana added.

She let out a resigned sigh. "I'll bet he wasn't. I guess it's too late to call him. I'll have to do that tomorrow morning. Crap, I can't believe I forgot," she said, completely frustrated with herself.

"Lex has that effect on people," Lana said, matter-of-fact.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chloe raised an eyebrow up at her friend.

"It just means that Lex is a young, attractive guy, it's only natural that you—"she started to explain, but Chloe cut her off abruptly.

"Nah uh, I see the train-track you're on and you need to detour fast… Are you insinuating that I have a thing for Mr. Luthor?" she asked skeptically. "Because if you are, you are so totally wrong."

Lana shrugged her shoulders, ready to change the subject it seemed. "Whatever you say…" Still, she rolled her eyes in Chloe's direction.

It wasn't that Lana was totally wrong, of course she found Lex completely attractive. She just didn't think he'd ever see her in any way other than as Clark's friend, or that annoying reporter who just wouldn't leave him alone.

_Right, Chloe…_ a voice said in her head, _That's why he invited you to stay for dinner, and then gave you a tour of his home?_

"Anyways," she went on quickly, wanting to push that wayward thought from her mind. "We should probably spend all day tomorrow working on our project… How would you and Clark feel about spending your day and night at the glamorous Smallville Public Library?"

A blush was quick to cover Lana's cheeks. "Um, we can't…"

"Why not?" Chloe asked, suspiciously.

"I… I um… kind of asked Clark out to dinner and a movie," she finally blurted out, looking nervous as she awaited Chloe's reaction.

Chloe's mouth dropped open and her eyes went wide in shock. She'd always known this was coming, why it was such a surprise to her she didn't know. Maybe it was because it meant that they were moving on with their lives, whereas she was still the exact same. That bothered her.

"Don't look at me like that," Lana pleaded, looking distressed.

"Sorry," Chloe mumbled. She didn't feel jealous. Ok, maybe just a little, teeny tiny bit. But she wasn't overwhelmed by jealously. And it was more because of the fact that they had each other now and she had… no one.

"But, we're free Sunday," Lana quickly dropped.

Chloe looked up abruptly. "Oh…" It was her turn to blush. "I'm free until dinner time."

"Ok. So, you have plans?" Lana inquired, standing up to go.

"Yeah… I'm kind of introducing Lex to the wonderful world of film," she said swiftly, like if she said it fast enough Lana wouldn't really catch it all.

"Uh huh…" Lana hummed, eyeing Chloe knowingly.

"Don't give me that look. Lex and I are just friends," Chloe assured. "I don't even know if you can even call us that yet."

"Yeah, yeah… _Goodnight, Mrs. Luthor_," Lana sing-song-ed on her way out.

She could hear the brunette's giggles down the hall and they stung for sure.

* * *

**Edit complete.**

Old A/N: Well that's it for now. I have the next chapter all written up, so hopefully I can get it up before I start school (Sept8).

Thanks for all the reviews!

I'll try to update soon!


	11. Spontaneity

**A/N2: April 7, 2013: Can't believe it's April already... oh well, hope you enjoy this edit too.**

Old A/N: Ok so it's been too long, again. Sorry. Blame it on school. I hope this chapter makes up for it, though. Please R&R and let me know what you think about the story or my slow update times, lol. Anyways here it is.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.**

**Chapter 11: Spontaneity:**

* * *

Chloe watched her friend unsurely as he stood on her front stoop. Pete had come over when she'd asked him to; that was a good sign. At the same time, he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there, at the moment; not such a good sign.

Not many Saturday mornings saw an awake Chloe Sullivan, today was the exception. She wanted to make things right as soon as possible. She looked up at him, one arm hung at her side, the other holding its elbow, even her stance was unsure. She'd disappointed him, she knew. She had to make it up to him.

"Thanks for coming over, Pete," Chloe said graciously. "I know it's early…"

"Yeah, well, I came; even though I wasn't too sure you'd be here," he replied, grudgingly.

"Pete, I'm sorry about last night. I just… I lost track of time. I didn't mean to, but it happened," she explained. "I really didn't mean to stand you up."

He sighed and relented. "I know."

They both went quiet for a moment.

"You know what I hate most about you hanging out with Luthor?"

"What?" she asked thoughtfully.

"I'm afraid he'll make you forget who your real friends are," he said quietly.

Eyes wide, she stared up at him. That was the last thing she'd expected to hear. Closing the distance between them, she engulfed him in a big hug. It was a second later when he, too, wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back.

"Pete, you've got to know, that won't ever happen. You're my best friend. I won't ever forget you."

She pulled back to smile at him reassuringly and he returned it a moment later.

Stepping away from him, she tentatively asked, "Are we good?" Chloe knew that Pete would always have his prejudice against the Luthor's, but she hoped she'd assured him that anything that went on with Lex would not interfere with their friendship.

"We're good."

She gave him a brilliant smile, hooking her arm in his. "Good, now, how about we get to work on that project of ours. Let's head to the library, ok?"

* * *

"I can't believe that I, Lana Lang, asked a guy out on a date," Lana said out loud as she stepped out of the shower. It was the same thought she'd had at least a hundred times that day. She had no idea where her boldness had come from. Scratch that, remembering Clark's dreamy green eyes… oh yeah, she knew where the boldness came from.

Throwing a robe around her shoulders, Lana made her way back to her bedroom. "Time to get ready," she announced to herself in the mirror of her dressing table.

She had a good two and a half hours before her reservation at Smallville's fanciest restaurant in town, La Rose et Perle. It was a French restaurant that served authentic French cuisine, or so Lana heard. Anyways, it was supposed to be the most romantic place in town. Getting reservations there sent a message. She wondered if Clark would get it.

_What to wear?_ she thought as she sat on her bed and stared into her open closet. After a minute of looking, she stood up and started to push through her hangers, looking for something special, something she hadn't worn before.

Reaching to the back of her closet, she pulled out a hanger. There it was, the perfect dress. It was short, knee length, and black. Strapless and glittery, cinched at the waist. The dress would hit her in all the right places. She'd bought it on a shopping trip with Chloe a few weeks back; at the time she'd had no clue what she'd wear it to. Now, she wondered if she somehow knew that she'd need it tonight.

Lana held the dress up to her in the mirror, a soft smile on her lips. She could just imagine how the night would go.

The rest of her time was spent on her hair and makeup. Hair, done in small curls, hung loose around her face. Her makeup consisted of something slightly more dramatic than her every day look: dark eyeliner, black mascara and a peach-pink lip-gloss.

Pulling the dress up her body, she zipped it into place. Lana's breath hitched as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. _Is that really me?_ she thought to herself wondrously. A hand reached up and touched her hair, then went to her chest as if she couldn't quite believe it. Mesmerized by her appearance, she had never seen herself look quite so... adult-like until now. It was a very different feeling.

Glancing at her alarm clock, she saw that it was nearing six pm. She had enough time to pick up Clark and drive over to the restaurant.

Slipping into her heels, she grabbed her silvery clutch and keys and made her way down the stairs. There, she found Mr. Sullivan in the kitchen, heating up some leftovers.

"Hi, Mr. Sullivan," she greeted cheerfully.

"Hey Lana," he said absently, and then got a real good look at her. "Oh… wow, you look very nice tonight. Big date?"

She blushed at being caught out so easily. "Yeah, with Clark," she said simply. And though he wasn't her official guardian, she still respected his rules. "I should be home by eleven, twelve at the latest."

He gave her an affectionate smile. "All right. Have fun," he said.

She nodded her head in thanks and headed towards the door, ready to do just that.

* * *

The closer Lana got to Clark's farm, the more nervous she felt. She couldn't help herself, this was the guy of her dreams, tall, dark and handsome, not to mention mysterious. Mysterious was an understatement. But she felt as if she could deal with his secrets as long as she was with him.

Reaching his house, she put her jeep in park, jumping out. She was nervous, yes, but she was still eager to see Clark. She practically skipped up the steps to his front door. Taking one composing breath, she knocked on the closed door. She didn't have to wait long. The door opened to reveal a smiling Martha Kent.

"Hello, Lana," Martha greeted. "Come on in."

"Thanks, Mrs. Kent," Lana said, as she stepped inside.

Martha took a second to take her in. "You look beautiful," she complimented, making Lana blush for the second time that night.

Mr. Kent suddenly appeared, coming down the stairs. "Lana, hi," he said, a pleasant smile on his face. "Clark should be down in just a second."

She nodded, words not coming to her easily at the moment. She guessed she was just too caught up in the moment.

A few minutes later, Clark came down the stairs, dressed in a black suit jacket and pants and blue dress shirt. The second her eyes landed on him, she found she couldn't take them off him. Clark Kent in flannel was a breathtaking sight, in a formal suit… well, Lana was sure she'd forget to breathe sometime tonight.

His green eyes lifted to meet hers and they just froze. The intensity with which he gazed at her was just amazing. His thoughts and feelings were pretty clear to her at that moment and for a second she almost couldn't believe he felt a fraction of any of that for her.

As if realizing they had an audience, Clark tore his gaze from hers, looking quickly to his parents before coming down the stairs. He stood before her and said, "Hey."

"Hi," replied Lana, voice breathy.

Stuck in the moment again, they stood like that, captivated by the sight of each other, until the sound of throat clearing caught their attention.

"So, where are you two headed?" Mr. Kent asked, clearly amused.

Lana answered for them. "I made reservations at La Rose et Perle."

"La Rose… et Perle," Mrs. Kent choked out, eyes wide. Her surprise put even more color to Lana's cheeks. "That's er… nice."

Seeing his wife's bewilderment, Mr. Kent took over. He put a hand to Clark's shoulder and said, "Well, I think you two should get going. Don't want to be late, now do you?"

They shook their head in unison.

Lana made it to the door first, seeing Mr. Kent pull Clark back to whisper something into his ear. Lana managed to catch a bit of it. "… remember your manners and be good…" She smiled to herself, as if Clark could be anything but, she mused.

"Have a good time," Martha said cheerfully, waving them off.

Finally, they were alone, standing by her car, with no one to hear them. Before getting into the jeep, Clark turned to Lana and said, "You look amazing, Lana."

Beaming, she replied, "Thanks, Clark. You look quite handsome yourself."

So far, everything was going just as she imagined it, wonderful.

* * *

"I think that was enough studying, don't you think that was enough. I think it was enough," Chloe rambled, taking a sip of her coffee. "Yeah, that was definitely enough! Did you think that was enough?"

She was about to take another sip of her highly caffeinated coffee, when Pete grabbed it out of her hands. "Hey!"

"Ok, I think we've established here that we've studied enough for the day. _And_ that you've had way too much coffee."

After leaving Chloe's house early that morning, they'd headed straight for the library and put in some solid research hours. Now that the evening had arrived, they'd decided to call it quits for the day, heading to the Talon for a before dinner cup of coffee. Or, in Chloe's case, several cups of before dinner coffee.

"Give me back my coffee," she protested, pouting.

"No," he told her, chuckling lightly at her. Looking down at his watch, Pete noticed for the first time that it was quite late. "Almost time for dinner, we should go."

Chloe shook her head. Her house would be empty tonight, she wasn't eager to head back to that. "You go ahead, I'm going to stay here and order another cup of coffee… maybe read the paper or something."

"I'm your ride, remember?"

Giving a reassuring smile, she said, "That's ok. I'll call my dad or walk, no big deal…"

"Are you sure? Mom made roast beef and she went all out. I don't want to be late," he said sheepishly. "You could come if you want."

"It's all right, Pete. I'll be fine."

"Ok then, I'll see you tomorrow?" said Pete, unsurely.

"I'm free until dinner. Meet at the library, same time?" she questioned.

"Sure," he said slowly. He didn't ask what she was doing for dinner but he had a feeling it had something to do with Lex. "See ya tomorrow."

He'd placed her coffee cup back on the table. When he was out of sight, she snatched it up and took a sip, grimacing instantly. "Damn, it's cold."

"How about I buy you another?" a smooth sounding voice came from her right.

Turning, she found Lex standing close by, dressed in an expensive looking business suit, like he'd just stepped out of a business meeting. Chloe had to admit he looked way too good in a business suit.

"Lex," she greeted, surprised to see him there. "What are you doing here?"

"I was on my way home, I thought I'd drop by to give Lana some papers," he explained. He gave an obvious glance around the Talon and commented. "But it doesn't look like she's here."

Chloe watched on as he invited himself into the seat that Pete had just vacated.

"No," she said, recovering from his sudden appearance. "She wouldn't be here right now. Lana's got a date," she stated somewhat bitterly. "With Clark."

"Ah, I see," he said gently.

_Jesus,_ she thought, _does everyone know how I used to feel about Clark?_

"So, what are you doing here, alone, on a Saturday night?" he inquired bluntly.

Frowning, she was glad when a waitress came and took their orders before she could answer. It gave her time to process his implied meaning of 'why don't you have a date, too?'

"I was at the library, doing research for my science fair project with Pete; we just called it a night," she explained, hearing the lameness of her excuse a second later. Who did homework on a Saturday?

"So, _now_ what are you doing?" Lex persisted, giving her a smirk. The twinkle in his blue eyes totally gave away the fact that he was laughing at her.

"Well, I _was_ about to have another coffee and read the newspaper before I was so rudely interrupted," Chloe said pointedly, not caring how dull and boring that sounded.

"Sounds like something someone's dad would do on a Saturday night," Lex teased, his smirk becoming a grin. Oh yeah, he was so laughing at her.

"Ok, so what do _you_ think I should be doing right now?" she challenged.

"How do you feel about music?" he questioned with a sparkle in his eye.

"Music?" she echoed dumbly.

He nodded. "And dancing?"

"What do you mean? Like in a club or something?" she asked, taken aback by his suggestion.

"Yeah," he replied, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Take a look around, Lex; this is Smallville. There are no clubs here," she replied. "And besides I'm only eighteen, I can't get in."

"Where's your sense of adventure?" His grin was very contagious.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked curiously, trying to remain indifferent but failing.

"I can have my helicopter ready in ten minutes and we can be in Metropolis in thirty," he offered, his eyes urging her to accept. "What do you say?"

The next words that came out of her mouth were a surprise. "All right… Let's go."

She had no clue why she'd accepted. But she did know that the extra sparkle and twinkle in Lex's eyes were worth it.

* * *

**And Edit complete.**

Well there it is. An extra long chapter in my opinion. I hope you liked it.

Thanks to my reviewers.

I have the next chapter all written up again so I'll try to get it typed up and uploaded as soon as possible.

Please R&R!


	12. Fly Me to the Moon

**A/N2: April 12, 2013: Hey all, here's another edit. This one is quite different from the original in that it has so much more detail added to it. I think it turned out quite nicely. Hope you like.**

Old A/N: Hi again. Sorry for the long wait again. I was really busy with finals. Anyways here's the next chapter. I hope you like it. Please R&R!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.**

**Chapter 12: Fly Me To the Moon:**

* * *

Clark shot Lana a surreptitious, or so he thought, look from across the table. Her eyes darted here and there as if she couldn't get enough of the fancy décor around them. Everything about the place screamed elegance, from the crystal chandeliers above each table, to the long white tapered candles, whose light bounced off the chandeliers to create intricate patterns across the room.

The restaurant she'd chosen was the best one in town. In fact, Lex had offered on more than one occasion to set him up with reservations so he could do just what he was doing right now, take Lana out. Funny how she was the one to actually take him out.

Her gaze drifted back to his, as if she knew he was thinking about her. She gave him a smile and he instantly became tongue tied.

"So…" Clark attempted to speak, failing.

"So…" Lana echoed.

Having just put in their dinner orders, they were now waiting patiently for it to arrive, listening to some catchy tune by Frank Sinatra—the only thing that didn't fit the French theme. Clark knew that the food would take some time. He needed to fill the silence with some conversation; still, he was struggling. The quiet that ensued between the two of them was uncomfortable and troubled them both.

Lana gazed at Clark longingly; he was watching her with nervousness in his eyes, like he had no idea what to do next. They'd had dinner together before, it had never felt like this, strained and full of tension.

After one more round of 'so's' they eyed each other uncertainly before each burst into laughter.

"What's wrong with us?" Lana asked as their laughter died down. She gave him a warm, reassuring smile that seemed to have its desired effect.

Clark finally smiled back, seemingly at ease now. "I know what you mean," he replied sheepishly.

"We hang out all the time. Why should now be any different?" she inquired.

_Because this time it's a date,_ a voice in her head decided to point out. She blushed slightly. _Ok, so it was a date, but it was still them, Lana and Clark…_

Chancing a glance at Clark, she could see he was blushing too. She knew he was thinking the same as her.

Before either of them could say anymore a voice interrupted both their thoughts. "Dinner is served."

Lana looked up to see their waiter, who also happened to be a student in their biology class, with their food.

"Thanks, John," Lana said when he'd finished putting the plates in front of them.

"No problem, Lana," John replied, except he wasn't looking at Lana, he was watching Clark with a big grin on his face.

Lana caught the look and she couldn't help but notice that it was of the love struck variety. It was no secret at school that John had a crush on Clark. Well, except to Clark of course; sometimes he was the definition of clueless.

"Yeah, thanks, John," Clark finished, eager for the boy to go away so he could be alone with Lana again.

John quickly looked from Clark to Lana and back to Clark; a sheepish look overcame his face as he realized the two of them were out on a date.

"You're um welcome… if you guys need anything else, let me know," he said quickly and nervously backed away.

Lana started to chuckle at the confused look on Clark's face. He didn't understand why John got so anxious all of the sudden. Or for that matter, any time he spoke with him. From the look on Lana's face, it seemed she knew.

"What?" he asked.

"He likes you," Lana informed.

Clark's mouth dropped open in surprise. "You mean… John? Nah, no way…" he denied, trailing off as he thought about the looks he'd caught the boy throwing his way occasionally.

"It's sweet. Don't you think?" Lana asked, clearly amused.

Clark fidgeted uncomfortably for a moment. "Yeah, I guess…"

He clearly never thought he'd be the object of another _guy's_ affections. Anyways, it didn't really matter; Clark only had eyes for one person. And currently she was eyeing him with a happy smirk on her face.

"What's wrong?" Lana teased.

"Nothing. Nothing whatsoever."

She was here with him. Everything was right in the world as far as he was concerned. He gave her a bright smile that convinced her of that.

"The food looks delicious doesn't it," Lana remarked, picking up her fork. He nodded his head. "Well then, let's eat."

* * *

Lex watched Chloe curiously as she stared out the windows of the helicopter they were travelling in. She looked totally transfixed by the sight. He had to admit it was a great one, all the lights in Metropolis against the darkening sky. It looked like someone had tossed a fist full of diamonds into the air. But, he'd seen it a hundred times before and was, admittedly, not partaking in the view. Instead, his eyes were taking in her every reaction and move, every twinkle in her sparkling eyes… _She was beautiful._

His growing admiration for her beauty, among other things, was startling to him. It made him wonder why he hadn't noticed her long before now. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they'd been running into each other more and more of late. That's how he'd also known that the petite blonde had a brain that quite possibly could match his own. An intriguing possibility.

"Have you ever been in a chopper before?" Lex asked conversationally, even though the way she was pressed close to the glass gave him his answer.

Chloe had a hand on the cool window, as if she were reaching out to take hold of the vast universe.

"No, this is my first time," she admitted. Lex noticed her cheeks pinking. "The view just takes your breath away, doesn't it?"

"It does," he replied, still not paying any mind to the dimming sky. There were far more enchanting things inside the vehicle to consider.

For the moment, he was glad that she was too transfixed by the sights going by to notice his appreciation. He didn't really know what to make of it himself. Not yet. He needed time to sort through his thoughts and feelings and he didn't want to confuse her while he did.

As if realizing his gaze was glued to her, she finally turned to face him. Silently, she fixed him with a long, hard stare that he was surprised to find he could not read.

_Mysterious_. He'd have to add the word to her growing list of previously unknown to him attributes.

"What?" he wondered, shifting slightly under her gaze.

"Why?" she asked vaguely

.

"Why what?" There were any number of things she could be asking the why of. _Why did he ask her to stay for dinner the other night? Why did he allow her to manhandle him into watching such an atrocious movie? For that matter, why did he foresee himself watching many more atrocious movies just to please her?_

"Why do you want to go to a club, with me?" is what she wanted to know.

He let out a sigh before giving her a straight forward answer. "I had a difficult day today. I feel like having a good time, now that it's over… And you looked like you could use a little excitement, so I asked."

"Oh," she replied, seemingly unsatisfied. He wondered what kind of answer she was expecting.

"Let me ask you a question now," he said. "Why'd you say yes? For all you know, I could be out to corrupt your innocence or something."

He kept his tone light and teasing, but he really wanted to know.

Shrugging her shoulders, she replied, "I don't know... I like to dance and I haven't been to a club in ages…. And I guess you were right, I'm in desperate need of some excitement." She gave him a smile. "And, you know, I'm not as innocent as you think…"

She punctuated that last statement with a wink; Chloe was becoming more and more intriguing by the minute, a definite delightful surprise.

He turned his gaze outside, needing a moment to gather his meandering thoughts. Chloe was still a young woman, he needed to remember that. She was not one of his usual conquests. And despite how much he wanted to ask her how corrupted her innocence really was, he refrained.

Chloe was first to break the silence. "I never imagined you as the clubbing type. I mean, I know you were, back in the day. But…"

"_Back in the day_?" he echoed, laughing. "I'm only twenty-two, Chloe, not forty."

She blushed prettily. "I know."

"I still like to go once in a while. Does that answer your question?" he asked, good-naturedly.

"Sure. Just one more piece of information to add to my article," she joked.

He smiled, amused and so very much entertained by the lovely reporter.

* * *

**That's it for this edit, definitely much better than it was before. More to come soon.**

Old A/N: Not my best chapter, I know. But I promise the next one will be much better and have more Chloe/Lex parts at the club.

Someone pointed out to me that there's a story out there that has the same name as this one, The Project, and that it is pretty similar to my own. I checked it out; I thought that it had some similar ideas. But I don't know… Anyways check it out, it's by a person named imcharmed and let me know what you think.

But also let me know what you think about this chapter too. Thanks!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!


	13. At Ease

**A/N2: May 4, 2013: Hey all, another edit for you. I got a job as a high school science teacher, so my time has been cut way short. But, I'll continue to edit this fic and my others. I hope you're enjoying this story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.**

**Chapter 13: At Ease:**

* * *

The second they stepped inside the building, Chloe's senses were immediately assaulted by Club Scarlet's atmosphere. Saying the place was loud would have been an understatement. The air was practically throbbing with the bass beat of the song that was currently playing, the vibrations tickling across her skin. Red spotlights whizzed through the air in such an erratic manner, Chloe had to wonder how many seizures Club Scarlet's patrons suffered a month.

"So, what do you think?"

She strained to hear Lex over the noise. "It's loud," she answered truthfully, restraining the urge to cover her ears.

Lex chuckled. "Standard issue for a club, Chloe. Come on."

The next thing she knew he was taking one of her hands into his, surprising her just enough to allow him to lead her away. He steered them through the crowd of gyrating bodies here and there, apparently not confining themselves just to a dance floor. Very quickly, they arrived at the bar at the back of the club.

Lex let go of her then, turning towards the bartender while she kept her eyes on the mass of moving people. Seeing all the girls dressed in skimpy outfits, she felt more than a little overdressed. After all, she'd been studying at the library all day, definitely not a halter and mini-skirt type of excursion. Instead, she was dressed in black fitted jeans and her very best red Hello Kitty t-shirt. Yep, she totally stuck out like a sore thumb.

A cup suddenly blocked her view. "Here you go," Lex said, back at her side.

Taking the cup hesitantly, she asked, "What is it?"

"Coke. No alcohol. Getting you in here is my one act of corruption to your innocence for today," he joked.

She smiled at him, glad for his levity. Some of the nervous tension she had been feeling since arriving at Club Scarlet was easing.

And just when she thought she was relaxing, she noticed that much of the dancing couples were occupied in was pretty intense, all hip thrusting and hand roaming. She wondered briefly if Lex expected her to dance with him like that.

She didn't know she was being so transparent until Lex pointed it out to her.

"Chloe?" he began. She could hear the amusement in his voice loud and clear. "You _have_ been to a club before, haven't you?"

He was laughing at her, she silently fumed. Swallowing down her indignation and the bit of apprehension she was feeling, she replied confidently, "Of course, Lex. Didn't I tell you that I'm not that innocent?" She silently added in her head, _I've just never been to a club with a sexy guy before, that's all…_

"All right… If you say so," he said, giving her an infuriating smirk.

"Yes, I do say so," she finished firmly. She took a fortifying gulp of her drink, banking on the sugar rush to get her through the night. "In fact, I'd like to dance right now."

She slammed her cup down on to the bar and pulled him towards the dance floor. She was grateful when he offered her no resistance and followed her without a word.

It was just her luck that the current fast-tempo song was ending and that the next song just happened to be a slower, sensual one.

* * *

Clark and Lana walked side by side down the streets of Smallville, headed towards the local movie theater. He really, really wanted to take hold of her hand but suddenly felt bashful; even though the silence between them was charged as their eyes kept meeting and holding.

Finally, Clark broke through the quiet with a mundane, "Thanks for dinner, Lana."

She smiled at him, happy to please. "You're welcome," she said cheerfully.

"But, you really should have let me pay my share," he added.

"Come on, Clark, we live in the twenty first century don't we? I asked you out, I do the paying," she explained, when a bold thought suddenly hit her. "Anyways, if you really want to spend your money, you could always ask me out next."

The second the words were out of her mouth she felt ridiculous. It wasn't like her to ask a guy out or ask for a guy to ask her out. _Where did this side of me come from?_ she wondered.

Tentatively, their gazes met and they blushed profusely, both turning away quickly to stare straight ahead. She was so embarrassed.

_Me and my big mouth…_

"Maybe I will," she heard Clark mumble low. Her gaze turned back on him sharply, wondering if she had heard right. A grin slowly replaced the nervous look from a moment before and she knew they were still all right. She breathed a sigh of relief, any uneasiness she felt melted away.

She couldn't help taking hold of his hand, then, just wanting to be closer to him. Clark didn't make a comment about her abrupt gesture; his only response was a comforting squeeze of her hand.

_Ok, so maybe I like my big mouth…_

* * *

Chloe couldn't quite believe it. She was in the middle of a dance floor in a Metropolis club with her arms around a guy. _And not just any guy, but Lex freaking Luthor!_ She had no idea how they'd gotten to this point. All she knew was that she was going to enjoy it while it lasted.

At the same time, though, she was slightly embarrassed. Here she was, her arms around Lex's neck, his hands firmly planted on her waist, swaying to the slow, steady rhythm that beat in the air, like she'd planned for this to happen all along. Except she hadn't. When she'd pulled him onto the dance floor so impulsively it had been a fast song. She'd totally intended to dance apart. And then they just had to switch it. She wondered if Lex thought she'd done it on purpose and because of that she hadn't looked up at him not once during the dance.

"Chloe?" Lex asked; she could hear the hint of amusement in his voice.

He'd felt the tension in her body as they danced together. That wasn't what he wanted. Lex wanted her to feel comfortable with him, hoped she'd come to trust him, and maybe even like him.

He schooled his features and she finally tilted her head up to look at him. There was a strained, nervous smile on her face. Her eyes met his, searching for something and he put on his warmest smile, hoping to calm her.

"Are you all right?" he asked, concernedly.

Taking a breath, she expelled it and with it her tension oozed out. "Just fine," she replied truthfully. For some reason, just hearing his concern for her put her at ease. And for the first time since he had asked her to come, she felt all her nervousness float away. She felt free to be herself.

"Good," he said simply, urging her back into his arms.

They went back to dancing, but this time Chloe let herself relax against him, resting her head against his shoulder.

Lex smiled down at her blonde head. He didn't know what he'd said exactly to get her to loosen up, but he was glad she finally did.

Just as they were getting really comfortable with each other, the slow song ended and a faster one came on, calling for them to break apart. They spent the rest of the night, dancing and laughing, enjoying each other's company.

As the night winded down, it was quite apparent to anyone who might have been watching them that they were there together. They'd had no interest in entertaining the idea of dancing with others, even when asked. But, there was one clueless guy who kept trying to cut in and dance with Chloe. She smiled politely, a little annoyed on the inside, and turned back to Lex.

The guy just wasn't getting the message she was sending. And the next thing she knew she was being yanked away, forcefully, only to find herself smashed against the chest of the creepy guy.

Chloe struggled to break free, yelling at him to let her go.

Lex was suddenly there, pulling her behind him. Chloe held onto him, part of her wanting to punch the guy in the face, part of her just wanting to run.

"Leave her alone," she heard Lex growl out over the music.

The man pushed Lex backwards, causing Chloe to stumble away. "What do you want, rich boy?"

"I'd like you to leave my date the hell alone," Lex told the man angrily.

Chloe regained her balance and grabbed Lex's hand. "Come on, Lex; let's get out of here…"

But, he wasn't listening; he was still glaring daggers at the bully of a man.

"Yeah, listen to the little girl and run while you still can…"

"Look, you're obviously drunk, so I'm—" Lex started before he was abruptly cut off with a fist suddenly pummeling his face.

Lex fought back. Chloe watched on in horror, not knowing what to do. She wanted them to stop. She wanted Lex to be all right.

Finally, they were pulled apart by security. Chloe rushed to Lex's side; she took in the sight of him, a black eye, a gash above it… "Lex…" she breathed out.

Before she could say anything more, he took her hand in his and said, "Come on, Chloe. Let's get out of here."

* * *

The car they'd arrived in was still waiting for them outside of the club. Chloe climbed inside, Lex following her. She opened up one of the compartments and found some ice. She found her tossed aside sweater and placed some of it inside it, using it for her makeshift icepack.

"Chloe, I'm fine," Lex protested, seeing what she was up to.

"Come here," she said in a tone that left no room for argument.

He let out a long-suffering sigh, but went to her side. She frowned at the sight of him as the limo began to move back towards Smallville—they were forgoing the scenic route this time around.

Touching the ice to the side of his face, he hissed out in pain, flinching backwards. Chloe gave him a look that said, 'don't move,' and he did as told.

"I just can't believe you fought him," she breathed out.

"You said that already. In fact, you've said that about four times now," he replied dryly.

"I know. But, wow… you can fight…" she said wondrously. For some reason, she was pretty impressed. She didn't know why, but that fact somehow made him more attractive to her, which slightly disconcerted her at the same time. "Not that I condone fighting or anything," she hurried to add.

_What am I thinking? I'm not attracted to Lex. He's my friend. Not even, really. He's more like an acquaintance,_ she thought to herself. But as she continued to gently press the ice to his eye, she received a very warm, very heart-melting smile from Lex. _He called you his date… Oh, who am I kidding? I so want him!_

"Chloe…"

"Yeah?" she said, snapping out of her thoughts.

"Are you all right?" he asked, giving her a quizzical stare.

She forced herself not to blush and answered, "I'm good. I'm the one who should be asking you that question."

"I already told you, I'm fine. Better than fine actually," he replied, surprising her. She also didn't quite understand the smile on his face.

* * *

**That's it for this edit. Let me know what you think. Thanks!**

Old A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I hope it had enough mix of Chloe/Lex and Clark/Lana. There will be more Clark/Lana in the next chapter.

I'll try my hardest to update next week.

Keep the reviews coming! Thanks!


	14. Discomfort

**A/N:** Hey. Sorry it's taking me forever to update. I didn't realize that it's been over a month since I last updated. I take turns updating my stories, so it takes awhile for me to get back to this one. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please R&R!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Smallville.

**Chapter 14: Discomfort:**

Clark stepped into the Talon and headed straight for the counter where his favorite brunette was pouring coffee.

"Hey Lana," he greeted, sitting himself on a stool.

"Clark, hi!" she said happily, turning from one of the many coffee machines to greet him.

A silence settled between them where their smiles grew bigger and bigger until they both burst out laughing.

"I had a great time last night," Lana finally said.

"Me too," he replied, looking down at the counter. "I was thinking we could do something together this week."

"Sure." Lana smiled brightly. "Just let me know when, ok."

"Yeah," Clark added, a goofy smile on his face.

To stop another silence from forming Clark pulled out a newspaper that he had folded in his back pocket and spread it out on the counter. He wanted to show Lana the front page, if she hadn't seen it already, that is. "Did you see today's newspaper?" he asked.

"Yeah. Lex Luthor and his mysterious blond," she quoted, with a knowing grin on her face.

"Mysterious blond indeed," Clark commented. "Looks like we weren't the only ones out having fun."

"Nope. Chloe got home an hour after I did. When I asked her where she was she wouldn't tell me," Lana informed him.

"Well I think this pretty much gives it away."

"It could be another blond," Lana stated unconvincingly. When Clark gave her a look she added, "Ok I guess your right."

At just that moment Chloe rushed in and said, "Coffee please!"

Lana and Clark turned to her and just stared. "What?" Chloe blurted out.

The couple turned their gazes to the newspaper on the counter. Chloe took one glance at the headline and immediately thought, 'Aw…crap!" But didn't show any sign of discomfort outwardly. "Yeah so?"

"You're blond," Clark said slowly.

"So are about half the other females in Metropolis," Chloe argued, adding a not so girly snort. "Come on, are we going to study? Pete's already waiting at the library and I don't know about you two, but we hardly have anything done for our project."

"Yeah, ok. But hold on a second," Lana agreed. But first she turned to Clark and whispered something in his ear. Chloe saw Clark grinning at her.

'Oh this is not good,' she thought frantically.

"Chloe," Clark started, once Lana had finished her whispering.

"Yes," she squeaked out.

His grin got even wider, if possible and a quick glance at Lana proved she wore a matching one. "Where are you going tonight?"

Chloe groaned and put her head in her hands while her two friends laughed at her expense.

* * *

"Son? I woke up this morning and suddenly thought I had gone back in time," Lionel said, striding into Lex's office, throwing down the newspaper in front of his son.

"Hey Dad! Good Morning to you too," Lex said sarcastically, sitting up straight in his chair.

"What is this? Are you back to causing disturbances again? Do I have to hire another cop to cover for you?" Lionel demanded.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I was minding my own business when some creep started harassing my date. I told him to leave her alone but he wanted to fight instead. So there. All I did was defend myself."

Lionel listened and took in all Lex said. "So who was this date?"

"None of your business," Lex replied automatically.

"Son I'll find out sooner or later," Lionel chided.

"Then find out later. Now if you don't mind, I've got work to do," Lex replied dismissing his father.

Lionel stood there for a moment considering all he had learned and then he left, a not so happy man.

* * *

"Hey you guys are late," Pete greeted the three teens.

"Yeah, blame it on them," Chloe said, annoyed. She plopped down into the chair next to Pete and crossed her arms over her chest, a sulky look on her face.

Pete looked at the laughing pair now sitting across from them. "What's up with her? And why are you guys laughing?"

"Chloe's just mad because we know that she was the mysterious blond," Lana informed after she was done laughing.

"Mysterious blond?" Pete asked, looking from Clark to Lana and finally to Chloe.

"You didn't read the paper today?" Clark asked. Pete looked at him and shook his head. "Here." Clark pulled the paper out of his backpack.

"You kept it?" Chloe exclaimed. "What kind of sick person are you?" Clark grinned in answer.

Pete unfolded the paper and read the front-page story, while Chloe looked on fuming. When he was done Pete refolded the paper and handed it back to Clark. "I see."

"Isn't it hilarious?" Lana asked.

"Yeah a riot," Pete said, looking like he just read about someone who had died. "Now can we start studying?"

Clark and Lana shared a worried look at his reaction.

"Thank you Pete. You're the only other sensible one here," Chloe said gratefully.

"Yeah. You're welcome," he replied, turning away from her beaming smile to focus on his boring earthquake book.

* * *

"Is that the time? Crap!" Chloe cursed, rushing to put away her things. "I've got to go."

Pete stood up and started helping her. "Where're ya going?" he asked.

They had been having a good time, despite the studying part. And he was sad to see it end.

In her rush, Chloe had to suddenly stop. "Oh umm…I have to go pick up some…umm…dry-cleaning for my dad before they uh…close."

"All right, we'll see you tomorrow," Pete replied. Chloe glanced quickly at Pete and saw the knowing look on his face.

They all said their goodbyes and Pete turned back to the other couple, falling into his seat.

"She was lying," he stated.

Lana and Clark nodded awkwardly.

* * *

"Lex! Sorry I'm late," Chloe called out as she walked into his office. "The maid-"

Chloe stopped abruptly when she saw the man before her, Lionel Luthor.

"Oh. I'm sorry, the maid said Lex would be in here," she said politely.

"He stepped out for a moment. And who might you be?" he asked.

"Chloe Sullivan. A friend of Lex's," she replied formally.

"Ah. Could you be the mysterious blond I've been hearing so much about? You are blond aren't you?"

Taken aback, she stared. "Excuse me?"

"It's just that-" Lionel began.

"Dad! Here's that contract you wanted," Lex said loudly as he walked into the room.

Lionel turned his head to the sound of his son's voice and followed it. "Ah yes." He took the papers thrust into his hands.

"Now if you'll excuse me. I have a guest," Lex said, excruciatingly polite.

"I'll be in touch," Lionel replied. A look of amusement could be seen on his face as he walked out.

Lex turned to Chloe. "Sorry about that. I didn't know it would take this long to finish my business."

"That's ok. I was late too. Got carried away with my biology project."

Lex grabbed a bottle of water and offered her one. She shook her head.

"And how is the project going?" he asked conversationally.

"Good, good. Pete and I might actually pass this time. We're actually working," she said. A smile lit her face. And he watched her closely as she took off her jacket.

"Pete and you?" Lex asked trying to sound casual, but his frown betrayed his tone.

"Uh yeah," Chloe said, confused by his sudden unhappy look.

"Uh huh," Lex said curtly.

"What's wrong?" she asked suspiciously.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." He smiled. "Dinner will be ready soon, so have a seat and tell me more about your day."

* * *

**8p8p8p8p8**

* * *

Well that's it. I hope this chapter was somewhat worthy of a one-month wait. I have the next chapter half way written so I hope it won't be too long before I update again.

Hey I'm at the big 100 in reviews! Thank you so much for all the reviews!

**Reviews:**

Activekid91: Thanks for the reviews! I know it's been way too long.

Redmetaldragon: I'll try my best. Thanks for the review.

Ashley-loves-smallville: More chlex less clana; got it. I'm actually trying to do an equal amount of each. So far I think I'm favoring the chlex side. But your comment is duly noted. Thanks for the review!

None: Thanks for the review.

Sidhe: I love the chlex too. It's a lot easier for me to write than clana, I'm not sure why. Thanks for the review!

Kiraa-Miroku-Forever: More clana, all right, I got it. Don't worry there's more to come soon.

Suanne: Thanks for the review.

Autumngold: Lex fighting for Chloe's honor is something I'd definitely like to see on the show. Glad you liked it. Thanks for the review!

Ok, and I'll try to update in about two weeks at the latest, earlier if I can. If I don't, well then you can hunt me down. Lol. See ya.


	15. Breathless

**A/N:** Hi. Sorry for the long wait, I've been job hunting, and so far it's been unsuccessful. Anyways here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy. Please R&R! Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Smallville characters.

**Chapter 15: Breathless:**

"Why would she lie?" Pete asked, except he already knew the answer.

"I think…she has a meeting with Lex," Lana offered.

"And she knows how you feel about Lex and the Luthors. She was probably trying to protect your feelings," Clark answered truthfully.

"Or she was just afraid of telling me," Pete countered, sadly. "I'm done here. I'll see you guys later."

He got up and headed for the door.

Clark turned to Lana. "I'll be right back." She nodded, looking concerned and he ran after Pete.

He caught up with him on the library steps. "Pete, wait!"

"What Clark?" Pete turned around, an annoyed look on his face.

"You've got to tell her?" Clark implored.

"Tell who, what?" Pete asked perplexed.

"Chloe. You've got to tell her how you feel," Clark pressed on.

Pete snorted in denial, turning around, continuing his descent down the stairs. "Whatever Clark."

Clark followed after him. "Pete, Chloe went out with Lex last night. He took her to Metropolis, to a club. Now she's over at his mansion. I don't know what's going on between them, but it looks like it's getting serious." Pete stopped in his tracks, his back to Clark. "If you want a chance with Chloe you better do something about it, soon."

Pete took in all Clark said, hanging his head down. He nodded his head once and walked on.

Clark turned around, resigned, and headed back to Lana. There was nothing more he could do here.

* * *

"What can I say, dinner was delicious, again," Chloe said graciously, putting the light blue napkin down next to her empty plate.

A servant arrived magically at her side, clearing the table.

"Well I only serve the best to the best." Lex smiled flirtatiously.

She smiled back. "I bet you serve food like this to everyone."

"Not true," he argued, still smiling. "When my father comes for dinner, I make sure I serve take out from a restaurant down the street."

She laughed, the exact reaction he was looking for. He watched her closely, taking in the sound of her laugh and the way she looked. She was beautiful, he decided.

Her laughter died down and her eyes met his in an intense stare that conveyed a lot more than anything they'd ever said to each other. His hand reached out, covered her own briefly, retracting it as quickly as it'd come. But in that instant Chloe felt a jolt go through her body, a very pleasant one.

She looked away, suddenly nervous. "Um…maybe we should start the movie watching. We've got a lot to cover tonight, if we want to make you into a typical American movie watcher."

"All right," he said slowly, standing up and waiting for her to follow suit. She did and he pressed a hand to the small of her back. "This way."

* * *

"Pete didn't look too happy when he left. Maybe I shouldn't have told him about Lex," Lana said, when Clark rejoined her.

"Actually, I think it was the right thing to do. Maybe it'll finally push him to tell her how he feels," Clark replied, sitting down in the chair across from Lana.

"Wait! Since when does Pete have feelings for Chloe?" Lana asked, incredulously.

"I don't know, but I just figured it out," Clark added.

"Oh." Lana looked down at her papers. "So you want to continue or call it a day?"

"How about we call it a day. I think we've done enough for now," he said reasonably.

"Yeah. How about we go to the Talon and get something to drink?" Lana suggested, getting her stuff together.

"Sure, I'd like that," Clark answered.

* * *

"What happens next?" Lex whispered in the darkened room.

"Shh…" Chloe reprimanded. Though her voice was scolding, she had to grin at Lex's eagerness.

They were watching another Jackie Chan movie it was almost over. They had opted out of the movie theater seats and instead they sat side by side on a comfortable sofa.

For half the movie Chloe watched Lex as discreetly as possible. The look of pure enjoyment amazed Chloe. It was a look she'd never seen on his face and it was a look she didn't think anyone else had ever seen either.

And now that the movie was almost over, Chloe couldn't wait to here his reaction. Of course she thought this was a great movie. But to Lex it must be the most amazing movie ever to give him the look she'd just witnessed.

Finally with the last kick thrown and the last words said, the move was over. They switched it off, not bothering with the credits, leaving the lights low. Chloe turned to Lex expectantly.

"So…" she asked pointedly.

"So what?" he asked in reply, turning to look at her.

"How'd you like the movie?" she asked.

"Oh, it was great. But I think I liked those other two we watched the other day better," he offered his opinion.

"Are you kidding me? You were watching this movie with a look that said, 'this is the greatest thing ever,'" she replied, in disbelief.

"Well, it was great," he added, shrugging, not seeing anything to make a big deal out of.

At his obvious dismissal, she decided to let it drop. She instead looked at her watch.

"Oh no. It's 11pm already. I've got to go," she said quickly, but regretfully. She stood up and hurriedly grabbed her jacket and backpack.

"Oh, ok. School night. I forgot," Lex said in understanding.

"Yeah, school, it sucks," she said sulkily. "Well see ya…"

She was about to take her exit when Lex suddenly grabbed her arm. "Lex?"

"It wasn't the movie that was the greatest thing ever. I really enjoyed spending time with you," he answered her earlier inquiries. His gaze on hers was intense.

"Oh," she breathed out, standing stock-still.

"I hope we can do it again soon. I still need to catch up with all those movies," he told her.

"Ah…yeah…sure, um…" she said, almost fully getting her voice back. "Maybe I can come by Wednesday?"

"Wednesday it is. Be here for dinner, ok?" he asked.

She swallowed and then nodded.

If she was shocked by his earlier admission, she was even more shocked by what he did next. Slowly Lex leaned down and planted the softest, whisper of a kiss right on her cheek.

"All right, I'll see you then," he said, his tone came out breathy.

And when Chloe answered, "Bye," her tone conveyed her own breathlessness. And quickly she fled.

* * *

Well that's it for this chapter. I hope you like it. I hope to update soon, but I don't have the next chapter written up, so it might take a bit.

**Reviews:**

**Crispy:** Thanks for the review. Though, I don't think I remedied either complaint. Hopefully I'll update soon.

**Kathy:** Thanks for the review. I also like the Chloe/Lex parts.

**CAMPTI:** I hope you liked this chapter too. I thought that by showing that Lex is jealous of Pete shows that he actually does care for Chloe more than he thinks. Thanks for reviewing.

**Horsegirl:** There's more Pete for you. And there will definitely be more Pete and Chloe later

**Josicuervo**: Thanks for the review. And thanks for reading even though you're not a clana fan. I see Lana as more than a pretty face, so that's how I'm trying to write her.

**SomebodySaveme:** Wow, I didn't see Lex as a snobby pervert. I really hope that's not how everyone sees him in my story. I think I'm going to take a step back and really check over my story. But thanks for the review anyways.

And thanks to all my other reviewers, **Veronica, snowbunny3, KorieHonshu, ElizabethV, chloedouble1011 and dj**, you're comments are much appreciated.

Review, please.

Thanks.


	16. Smiles

**A/N:** Hi. Sorry for the wait, again. Unfortunately I've only got a short, sorta filler chapter for you. But as soon as I post this I'll get started on the next chapter right away. Ok, so I hope you enjoy. Please R&R! Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Smallville.

**Chapter 16: Smiles:**

"If a _equal to_ b and b _equal to_ c than c _equal to_ a, see class, the problem is _quite_ simple," Mr. Snyder drones out to the students.

Lana stared at the single problem that took three whole chalkboards to come to that '_simple_' conclusion. 'Oh yeah, real simple,' Lana thought hopelessly.

"Now copy it down, study it. Certain parts of this math problem will be on next weeks test," Mr. Snyder ordered. And then he sat back down in his chair, not bothering to answer any questions, though there were several hands raised.

Lana leaned towards Clark and asked, whispering, "Do you think Chloe could write an article on teacher incompetence?"

Clark smiled down at her. "I'll help you out with it at lunch, if you'd like?"

"I bow down to you, oh mighty math God," Lana joked, chuckling, getting a laugh from Clark too.

Mr. Snyder sent the two of them the evil eye and under his gaze their expressions turned somber. But the minute the teacher's attention was elsewhere they shared another smile.

Lana knew she had to force herself to look away from Clark. She had to finish copying down the problem. It was just so hard, those bright blue eyes held her prisoner.

"Lana…" Clark whispered.

The sound of his voice only further led to her imprisonment.

"Lana…. the problem," Clark tried again.

'Problem, what problem?' Lana thought. 'Oh that problem!'

She finally figured out what he was trying to say. Blushing furiously she turned her head away and stared at the chalkboard. Then she started to copy it down furiously. Only stopping momentarily when she thought she heard Clark chuckle.

Just as she got the last figure down, the bell rang.

"So what class do you have next?" Lana asked Clark as she started shutting her books.

"History," he answered. "How about you?"

"English," she replied.

They stood up to leave, standing in the doorway. "So I'll see you at lunch, all right?" Clark asked.

"Definitely. I'm looking forward to it." Sharing one last blindingly, bright smile, they each went their separate ways.

* * *

'He's so sweet. Definitely cute and handsome,' Chloe thought, letting out a content sigh. 'And the touch of his lips…oh…" 

Ever since the night before, when Lex had practically told her that spending time with her was the greatest thing ever and of course the gentle kiss on her cheek, Chloe had had her head up in the clouds.

"Chloe!"

She always swore that she wasn't that kind of girl. The kind that swooned over a handsome man, that spent every minute of the day thinking about a guy. But apparently all it took was the right man.

"Chloe!"

It's like he called out to her, she could hear him calling her name, that's just how strong their bond was. Or so she believed.

Thwap! "Ah!" Chloe practically screamed. She looked around frantically to see who was shooting whom and realized that she was still in the classroom and everyone was staring at her.

Finally, she looked straight ahead to see displeased face staring down at her, a ruler in one hand.

"That must have been some thought process. Care to share what had you so enthused as to completely tune out Chemistry?"

Chloe blushed furiously, giggles sounded around; they obviously took her blush to mean she was thinking something dirty.

"Sorry," she mumbled instead.

"Very well. Try to stay focused this time," reprimanded.

Chloe nodded and focused all her attention on the reactions on the board.

After class Pete stopped her in the hall. "So what was that all about? She called your name for like three minutes straight. What were you thinking about?"

"Le- I mean I was thinking about nothing. You know just tuned her out," Chloe replied, nervously.

"Nothing, huh? I don't think so," Pete replied. He started walking away in the direction of the Torch office, where he planned on eating lunch. Chloe hurried to catch up to him. "What happened at Lex's last night?"

Pete's blunt question totally caught her off guard; she stopped abruptly in the hallway. "What!"

He turned around and looked at her with a knowing gaze.

She stared at him wide eyed, hoping she came off as looking all innocent instead of like a deer caught in someone's headlights. "What do you mean?"

"Only one thing these days turns Chloe Sullivan into a nervous, jittery wreck, that seems to be Luthor. So… I know you went there last night. Did he pull something?" Pete asked, getting more irritated by the second.

'Oh yes, he pulled something. An awesome little kiss, that I hope will be repeated many times over in the future, only more central on the face, say my lips,' Chloe thought heatedly.

Hoping she wasn't blushing, she answered instead, "No he didn't do anything wrong, we just watched a movie that's all. Oh yeah and had some dinner too. That's it."

"Uh huh," Pete answered, but it was still clear to her that he still didn't believe her. He resumed walking.

'And why does he care so much if Lex makes a move on me or not? He should know I only do what I want,' Chloe thought, totally confused by her best friend's behavior.

Following him, she cleared her throat and asked, "So are we going to start building the model for bio today?"

She unlocked the Torch door and they walked in.

"Yeah, I've got the materials at my house. So can you come over after school?" he asked, not voicing the last part of his question: Or are you going to the Luthor's?

"Sure I'll come, wait for me and we'll go together ok?" Chloe flashed him a bright smile.

He could never resist her happy smiles. "Of course," he answered.

* * *

So after typing this up I have a really awesome idea for the next chapter or two. Hopefully I don't wait a month to get the chapter out to you. But now that I have a fulltime job updates will only come on the weekend. Sorry. 

Thanks to all my reviewers: **Fire of the Dragons, Suanne, totallysteller, chloedouble1011, SleuthingSloth, Scottish lass2, Kathy, and bluengreenswmer94.**

So please review and let me know what you think. Thanks!


	17. Question

**A/N:** I'm so sorry for taking so long to update. My job has been keeping busy. So if anyone is still reading this I hope you enjoy. Please R&R!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Smallville.

**Chapter 17: Question:**

"Thanks Clark, I think I understand calculus proofs much better now," Lana said, beaming at Clark.

Clark smiled. "If you need anymore help, you know, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks," she replied, slamming her math books shut and putting them aside to eat lunch. "I won't."

"You know," Clark started, pausing to take a mouthful of chili and then swallowing. "Pete says Chloe and him are building an earthquake model of the plates and stuff. What do you think of us trying that too?"

"Hmm…maybe. But we'd need to figure it out first before we plow right into it," Lana suggested. "Speaking of which…did you get a chance to talk to Pete today?"

"Only briefly in history," Clark answered. "Why?"

"Well I was just wondering about the whole Chloe thing," Lana clarified for him.

"You mean about him liking her?" Clark asked.

"Yeah that and I think Lex likes her too," Lana pointed out.

"I sure hope Chloe knows what she's doing," Clark commented.

"Yeah me too," Lana answered, both going silent until Lana piped up again. "So what about us?"

"Us?" Clark choked out.

"Yeah, when are we going to get together for bio?" she asked brightly.

"Oh umm, how about right after school in my loft," he answered awkwardly.

"All right, then."

* * *

"Oh wow! Look at this." Chloe held up the single pink rose she'd found on her desk for Pete's inspection.

Before he could say anything she pulled it back and held it to her nose. "It smells heavenly. It's from Lex, isn't that sweet?" she babbled.

The minute Pete laid eyes on that flower he knew who it was from. And with that knowledge came the anger. "Yeah," he gritted out. "Except it isn't even your favorite kind of flower. You like daisies remember?"

"Yeah but only you would know, since you're my best friend," she answered. "It's still really nice of him."

She practically swooned down into her chair, still smelling the flower. Pete looked on disbelievingly. Lex Luthor had turned his quirky, no-nonsense Chloe into a swooning girly-girl. It was too much.

"Come on Chloe, snap out of it," Pete bit out, sounding more harsh then he'd intended too.

Chloe stared at him with wide startled eyes. "What?"

"I've never seen you go this crazy over a guy. Not even Clark," Pete explained more gently.

"What are you talking about Pete? Lex is just my friend that's all," she said.

"A friend who sends you flowers?" Pete countered, an eyebrow raised.

"Fine, a very good friend then," Chloe replied. "And I'm not going crazy over him." The image of her sniffing the rose again, ruined the effect of her indignant tone. Pete gave her a pointed look and she put the flower down quickly. "Lex is just being Lex. He's extra friendly to his friends. Just ask Clark."

"Whatever Chloe, I'm just warning you, I don't want Lex to hurt you," Pete replied resignedly.

Chloe walked over to Pete and gave him a little hug around the shoulders. "That's why you're such a great friend Pete, you care. Thanks. But Lex will not hurt me."

All Pete heard was the words, 'You're such a great friend.'

* * *

Lex stared absently off into space. The fertilizer plants monthly figures on the computer screen were long since forgotten. He'd been doing this a lot the past couple of days, totally forgetting what he was doing and just going off into thinking mode. And this would have been ok if he'd been thinking about business, but no, it was a certain blonde that occupied his thoughts.

He'd never paid a lot of attention to Chloe in the past but after hanging out with her, she was totally growing on him. So much so that he wanted to see her today and not wait until Wednesday.

Clicking off the report he brought up his schedule for that day, he wanted to make sure it was clear that evening for his planned nighttime visit.

"Good, good," he mumbled to himself, seeing that his last meeting for that day was at 6:00pm, meaning that he could catch her home for sure.

He smiled to himself at the prospect of seeing her again, especially after last nights parting kiss, he hoped to recreate that only something more.

* * *

The last bell of the day rang and that found Chloe and Lana standing at their lockers pulling out their necessary text books.

"You going home?" Lana asked Chloe, while fighting with a humungous geometry text book to get in her bag.

"No," Chloe replied. "How about you?"

"No, I'm going over to Clark's, we're going to try to build a model for the science fair," Lana replied. "You going to Lex's?"

"No," Chloe answered, looking and sounding totally dejected. "I don't see Lex until Wednesday. I'm going over to Pete's."

"You sound totally down. Could it be you've fallen for Lex?" Lana asked her voice sounding too sing-song-y to Chloe.

"No," Chloe answered quickly. "He's just my friend."

"Uh huh," Lana said, sounding like she totally didn't believe her. "Well why do you sound like hanging out with Pete is the last thing you want to do?"

"I love hanging out with him. We have tons of fun, if you haven't noticed from our last couple of bio marks. It's just that lately he's been acting a little weird."

Lana's smile left her face. "Oh."

"Oh, what?" Chloe said.

"Umm, nothing at all," Lana said quickly.

"You know something," Chloe accused.

"No, I don't." She shook her head and closed her locker, starting to walk away.

Chloe closed hers and followed behind her. "What? What's going on?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lana stated, not meeting Chloe's gaze.

Chloe put a hand on Lana's shoulder to stop her. "Tell me."

"It's nothing. Pete's just kind of mad over all the time you're spending with Lex," Lana explained.

"Yeah I know because he's a Luthor," Chloe said.

"Well there's that, but there's more too," Lana continued.

"More? Like what?" Chloe asked confused.

Lana was about to say something when they heard from behind them, "There you are Chloe, I thought we were leaving together?"

Both girls gaped at Pete like it was the first time they'd ever seen him.

"What?" he asked, shifting awkwardly.

Chloe cleared her throat nervously. "Nothing, sorry I just had to talk to Lana quickly. Let's go."

"Ok…" Pete said, still weird-ed out.

"Bye Lana," Chloe said, walking away with Pete.

"Bye guys!"

* * *

Well there it is. I hope you liked. And I'll try to update soon, but no promises. Sorry.

Thanks for all the reviews. And please let me know what you think of this one too.


	18. You knowI know

**A/N**: Hi. Sorry for the long wait, again. But here's the next chapter, so I hope you enjoy. Please R&R! Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Smallville.

**Chapter 18: You know…I know.**

"You know this is a great idea for a model," Lana said brightly.

"Yeah I know, good job," Clark replied.

Lana put down the poster she was staring at and flopped down on the couch next to Clark. She smiled widely. "You know it was your idea too."

Clark smiled sheepishly. "Maybe a little."

They continued to smile brightly at one another until they both burst out laughing.

"You know," Lana started when they both had calmed down. "I kind of almost spilt the beans to Chloe about Pete's feelings for her today."

"Oh no, Lana…" Clark warned.

"Yeah I know. It's just she wanted to know what was wrong with him and when she found that I might've known something…well you know how Chloe gets," Lana explained.

"Yeah I sure do," Clark answered, knowing from experience.

"The thing is she has absolutely no clue that he likes her," Lana continued.

"I know. I don't think there's anything we can do about that, though," Clark replied.

"Yeah I guess. But I'm pretty sure she has a thing for Lex and well I just don't want to see Pete get hurt. He's a good guy and doesn't deserve to be hurt," she added, turning to face Clark.

When she looked at his face she saw a big grin plastered there.

"What?" she asked, giving him a strange look.

"Nothing, it's just that's why I like you so much," Clark said cryptically.

"What do you mean?" she asked shyly, looking down and letting her hair fall over half her face.

Clark reached out and pulled back her hair. "I mean, you're so caring. You're worried about Pete and you don't want to see him hurt. You'd be sad if he was sad. It's just you're so…caring."

"Thank you," Lana breathed out, touched by his words.

"Don't thank me, it's just who you are. A very good person," Clark added truthfully.

She blushed but didn't look away. The way he was looking at her, like she was the only one in the whole world, gave her a tingly sensation all over her. It warmed her up just to be in the same room as him.

Lana leaned forward and touched her lips to his. She wanted to tell him how she felt but didn't know how to put it into words. Instead she surprised him completely with her kiss. And with no hesitation on Clark's part, he kissed her back. Pulling her close, they held on to each other as they lost themselves to the sensations.

They didn't hear the footsteps or the sound of someone climbing the stairs; they did, however, hear the shocked voice.

"Clark, Lana, how's the pro—" Jonathan started to say.

Hearing Jonathan's voice, the pair quickly pulled apart, only then noticing that Lana was in Clark's lap.

Jonathan cleared his throat and started to look everywhere but at the couple. "I came up to see if you two needed a break, but it looks like you're already taking one." Clark and Lana blushed furiously. "Martha made some fresh muffins if you'd like to come down and have some."

"Umm, ok dad, we'll be down in a minute," Clark said awkwardly.

Jonathan nodded his head and headed down the stairs.

Once he was well out of sight, Lana let out a groan and buried her face in Clark's shoulder. "That must've been the most embarrassing moment in my life ever!"

Clark chuckled. "Don't worry, my dad won't mention it."

She lifted her head to peek up at him. "Really?"

"Well I hope he won't," Clark added unsurely.

Lana groaned again and Clark laughed out loud, "Come on let's get down there before they start talking."

She finally got off his lap and they walked down to the house.

* * *

"Yes!" Chloe yelled triumphantly. "And the Phoenix kicks the Wolverine's butt again!"

Pete let his PS2 controller drop to the ground, looking disgruntled, he replied, "Whatever Chloe, I totally let you win."

"For the fiftieth time in a row?" Chloe asked incredulously, grinning widely.

"Yeah, whatever," he said again. "Enough X-men: Next Dimension, back to biology."

Chloe set her controller aside. "So what have we got so far?"

Pete took a look at their scattered materials and grimaced. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" she echoed disbelievingly.

"Nothing. That's what tends to happen when you spend four hours playing video games and not working."

Chloe mirrored his grimace. "We suck," she simply stated.

"Yep," Pete added, grinning. "Look, we still have till next Monday, a whole week, so don't sweat it."

"Yeah sure I won't, but I think it's time for me to get home," Chloe answered.

"Ok, so same time tomorrow? I'll even get my mom to hide my PS2 before we get here. Minus one distraction."

"All right, see you tomorrow."

* * *

"Lana looked very preoccupied, is everything all right?" Martha Kent asked her son.

Clark looked at his mom for a second, blushing, then glanced at his dad, who looked quite amused.

Jonathan turned to put the milk in the fridge. "I suspect it had something to do with the compromising position I found her and Clark in, Martha."

Martha turned a scandalized look on her son. "Clark!" she gasped out, she couldn't come up with anything else.

"It was nothing mom," Clark denied, busying himself in cleaning off the counter.

"Clark," she started again.

"It's all right Martha," Jonathan spoke up, chuckling. "Though it wasn't quite innocent, it wasn't what you're thinking either. But I think we're going to have a talk."

Clark groaned. "Dad, I took sex. ed. in school."

"Oh God, I think I'll leave this to you Jonathan." Martha looking particularly blanched quickly fled the room.

"Son, I know you know the hows of it. But it's a big step, a big responsibility. I'm just asking you to think things through before jumping into anything." Jonathan coughed a bit, realizing what he just said. "Umm…excuse the pun."

Clark, looking really uncomfortable, replied, "Don't worry Dad. Lana and I aren't even officially dating. We aren't ready for that yet."

"All right son. Remember your mother and I trust you completely."

"I know Dad."

* * *

"Hey Dad, Lana, I'm home!" Chloe called out, closing the front door behind her.

No one answered. She walked into the living room and threw all her things onto the couch, then walked to the kitchen, to get something to drink. On the refrigerator were two notes, one from Lana and one from her dad. She read both.

_Hey girls,_

_Sorry for the short notice, but I've been sent to Metropolis on some important business. I'll be back tomorrow night. You know where the money for pizza is. Have a good night. _

_Bye_

_PS. Here's the phone number if you need me: 555-4394._

Chloe let out a sigh. She was totally convinced that her dad was overworked. She'd seriously have to talk to Lex about that.

She pulled the other note off the fridge and read that too.

_Hey Chloe, Mr. Sullivan,_

_Someone called in sick at the Talon so I'll be closing tonight. Don't worry about me and you don't have to wait up._

_  
Bye._

_Lana._

A second sigh was let out by Chloe; she'd be all alone till about midnight. 'I guess it's homework night for me,' Chloe thought.

Chloe made her way upstairs to her room; she quickly changed into her red pajamas, shorts and a spaghetti strapped tank top. She grabbed a couple of text books and made her way back to the living room.

She stood there looking around the living room thinking about what to do. 'Ok first things first: food!' she thought.

Grabbing the cordless phone and a pizza flyer she plopped onto the couch and eagerly dialed the number.

"Hello? Mike's deep dish pizza."

"Yeah, hi. I would like to order a…extra larger pepperoni pizza, please," she said, "Extra cheese. And a bottle of diet coke too!"

"All right that's going to be 20 bucks. What's your address?"

So she gave him all her info and turned to her homework as a distraction. Her first task of the night definitely had to be Chemistry, after completely tuning it out today, due to certain circumstances.

Ten minutes into chemical reactions the door bell rang and Chloe jumped out of her chair grabbing the money out of the fridge drawer (their pizza money spot) and went to the door.

"That was fast," she announced loudly, turning the door knob, "You guys said you'd be…" She trailed off when she saw that it wasn't the pizza guy at the door. "Lex? What are you doing here?"

* * *

I hope you guys liked it. Please leave me a review and tell me what you think.

And thanks to everyone who reviewed!


	19. Fight! Fight! Fight!

**A/N:** Again, sorry for the long wait. I hope this chapter makes up for it, because it is kind of long. Anyways let me know what you think. R&R! Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Smallville.

Chapter 19: Fight! Fight! Fight!

"Lex, I'm not supposed to see you until Wednesday," Chloe stated, confused by his sudden appearance.

Lex let himself into the house and walked straight into the living room. Chloe followed closely behind, still befuddled.

"And here I thought you'd be happy to see me," he said, clearly amused.

Chloe missed the amused part and started to talk nervously. "I- I am. It's just that I wasn't um…expecting you."

Lex chuckled and turned towards her placing both hands on her shoulders. "Relax Chloe. I'm just teasing."

"Oh," she stated, standing still as she watched him sit down on her couch.

"So what were you doing before I barged in?" Lex asked good naturedly.

Chloe gave him a quizzical look before sitting down next to him. "Umm…I just ordered a pizza and then I was going to start my chemistry homework."

"Chemistry, huh? I'm pretty good at it. Need some help?" he asked.

She nodded dumbly, handing him a sheet of reaction problems. She watched him, mesmerized, as he worked quickly and efficiently through a problem she had been stuck on.

"There," he announced when finished.

"Huh? What?" Chloe asked dazed. She wasn't actually watching him do the problem, but was watching him instead.

He smiled. "I finished the problem."

"Oh." She took it from him and stared down unseeingly at it. She put the sheet of paper aside and quickly blurted out. "What are you doing here?"

She heard him sigh before he spoke. "I couldn't wait till Wednesday to see you," he paused. "I've been thinking about you all day."

Chloe smiled and turned to face him. "Same."

"Really?" he asked in wonder, smiling back at her.

"Yep. I'm glad you came," she confided. "So… what does this mean?"

Chloe watched Lex as he seemed to seriously ponder her question. She was really surprised when Lex's arms were suddenly around her body.

"I think," he started. "That it means…that we really like to be around each other," blurting the last bit out.

Chloe laughed and decided to go along with Lex, putting her arms around him. "So what do we do about that?"

"What you should do is let me be around you. And what I should do is stay around you. Do we have a deal?" he asked purposefully.

Chloe took one hand from around him and put her index finger to her chin. "Hmm… I'm going to have to think about that. Let's see…"

Lex leaned closer into her. "Here, think about this." That's when he gently pressed his lips against hers and gave her a chaste kiss, so un-Lex like.

They pulled back. "Hmm..." Chloe started, stopping to lick her lips. "Interesting, interesting, but I think I need more to think about."

"Gladly," Lex smirked and pulled her to him. This time the kiss wasn't so gentle. Lex pulled her onto his lap so that she straddled his hips. She let her hands wonder and found them pushing off his jacket. On Lex's part he was having trouble keeping his hands from wandering under her shirt.

"Is this," Lex started between kisses, "What you need to be thinking about?"

Kissing the underside of her jaw, Chloe gasped out, "Definitely."

Moving his kisses down her throat, he asked, "And is it helping seal the deal?"

"Deal is definitely sealed," she pulled him back up to meet her eager lips.

Just as Chloe's hands were inching down Lex's chest, they heard a loud bang. And then, "Hey Chloe, are you home? You're front door was open, so I let myself in," on the last word Pete walked into the room to witness the couple trying to discreetly pull apart.

It was too late, Pete had already seen the worst of it and the expression on his face wasn't good.

"Pete, umm…what are you doing here?" Chloe asked, as she quickly got off Lex.

She straightened out her clothes as she waited for Pete to say something. He didn't and she felt Lex get up to stand supportively behind her.

Noticing the book in Pete's hands she started again. "Is that my book, I must of left it at your house," she took it form his hands. "Thanks for bringing it by."

The minute the book was out of his hand Pete launched himself at Lex. Before Lex knew what was happening Pete had punched him in the face, and was still coming after him.

"You stay the hell away from her!" Pete yelled, trying to punch him again, this time Lex blocked him.

"Pete!" Chloe screamed.

"Don't ever touch her again!" he yelled again. This time managing a punch to Lex's gut.

Lex didn't want to hurt the guy, but if he didn't fight back, he'd get beaten on bad. So Lex got in a punch to Pete's jaw.

"Pete! Lex! Stop it!" Chloe tried again. And when that didn't work she started to try to break it up. That didn't work either. In fact it caused her to get pushed down onto the floor.

Instantly Lex broke away from Pete and was at her side. "Chloe! Are you all right?"

She let him help her up and then brushed off his touch. "I'm fine," she said icily as she turned to glare daggers at Pete.

"Chloe-" Pete started to say, his eyes pleading with her to understand.

"No, I think you should go," Chloe cut him off.

"But…" at the look she gave him he knew it was no use apologizing now. "Ok, fine, I'll leave for now."

Chloe stood there until she heard the sound of the door banging shut. Then she turned her glare to Lex.

But before she could tear into him Lex said, "Chloe, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have fought him."

Her expression softened, only a bit, but when she spoke to him there was still curtness to her voice. "No you shouldn't have. I mean, what the hell was that about?"

"Exactly what, you'll have to ask him that," Lex replied. "But, I think it's obvious."

"Obvious? Please enlighten me then," she asked confused.

"He's in love with you," Lex stated bluntly.

"No way," Chloe quickly denied. "Pete's my best friend. That's not possible."

Lex knew that that meant the topic was closed. "So…I guess you want me gone then."

He started to make his way out. "Wait," Chloe called out. "Let me get some ice for your eye."

* * *

Martha was just pulling dinner out of the oven when a knock came at the door. "Clark, honey, do you want to see who that is?"

Clark put the book down that he'd been reading. "Sure mom. By the way dinner smells great."

He walked to the door and pulled it open.

"Pete! What are you doing- What happened to you?" Clark asked, concerned, pulling his friend into the house.

"Pete?" Martha came to look. "Oh my God, what happened?"

She pulled him from Clark and into the kitchen.

"I'm fine Mrs. Kent," Pete insisted.

"No you're not, you're lips bleeding and you have a nasty bruise on your jaw," Martha chided.

"Are you going to tell us what happened?" Clark demanded, as Martha gave Pete ice for his chin.

"I got into a fight," Pete offered vaguely. "I didn't want to go home until I got cleaned up."

"Your mother's going to want to know about this," Martha stated.

"I just didn't want to worry her," Pete confessed.

"Well you won't be able to hide this bruise or lip from her," Martha said logically. "I'm going to get the first aid kit. I'll be right back."

Pete took the ice from her and waited for her to leave the room.

"Oh man Clark, I screwed up bad," Pete moaned out.

"We can fix it. Just tell me what happened," Clark said calmly.

"I beat up Lex!" Pete blurted out.

"What?" Clark yelled, shocked. "Is he ok?"

"He's fine. He's got Chloe to look after him," Pete replied bitterly.

"Chloe? Ok, back up, what happened?" Clark asked, totally clueless.

"I went to her house and I walked in on them," Pete started angrily. "And I just lost it."

"Oh man," Clark said, just as his mom came back down the stairs. This was definitely going to take some work to fix. He wasn't even sure that his powers could fix this.

* * *

"Is this going to be a habit?" Chloe asked, as she gingerly placed the ice over Lex's bruised eye.

"What?" Lex asked, from where his head lay in her lap.

"This, having to apply ice to your poor eyes?" Chloe asked, allowing herself a little chuckle.

"I sure hope not," Lex said wryly.

He gasped when the ice hit a particularly sore spot. "Ouch, maybe you should go to a doctor."

"Nah, I'm fine. Besides now I have a matching pair," he said, indicating his previously bruised eye. He tried to smirk but that hurt too.

"You poor baby," she sympathized, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "I don't know what got into him. I don't think I'll be able to stop myself from tearing into him the next time I see him."

"Don't be too hard on him," Lex surprised her by saying. "I mean, if I walked in on you with someone I hated I'd probably do the same."

"Ugh, men are barbarians," Chloe stated, annoyed. "And he doesn't like me like that."

"No he doesn't," Lex agreed. "He loves you."

"No," Chloe growled out.

"That doesn't matter," Lex waved it off. "How do you feel about him?" Lex asked, holding his breath for her answer.

"I love him," she started and saw Lex's face fall. "Like a brother."

Lex was so relieved at that moment.

"So where does that leave us?" he couldn't help asking.

"Well that depends…"

"On…" Lex prompted.

"On how you feel," she revealed.

"I don't think I'd mind seeing you and only you," he confessed.

"Really, you wouldn't mind?" she asked sarcastically.

"Be my girlfriend Chloe," he said seriously.

She didn't even have to think about that one. "Ok," she said quickly.

"Good," Lex said, managing a smirk. "Now come down here." She obliged him, by letting him pull her in for a kiss.

* * *

Lana was just about to start making her hundredth cappuccino of the night when the phone rang. She let out a tired sigh and picked it up. "Talon, this is Lana speaking."

"Lana, hi." It was Clark and she smiled instantly.

"Hey Clark, what can I do for you?" her voice was cheery.

"I have Pete over here and well…" he trailed off.

"What? What's wrong? Why are you whispering?" she asked in concern.

"It's just that Pete's right around the corner. Anyways, he got into a fight…with Lex…over Chloe," Clark whispered.

"What!" Lana yelled.

"Yeah I know. I can't get much out of him. I was hoping you could talk to Chloe see if you can get the whole story from her. I'm going over to see Lex tomorrow," Clark suggested.

"Yeah sure, I'd like to know what happened too," Lana agreed.

"Thanks Lana," Clark sounded relieved. "You're the best!"

"No problem."

* * *

Well that's it. I hope you enjoyed. I'll try to update soon. Let me know what you think with a review. Thanks

And thanks to everyone who reviewed, **Ice Princess, GilmoreAholic, Aukima, Kentcharm, Mallory, sleuthingsloth, Chloedouble1011, and Joseph Benjamin,** and to anyone else who read. Thanks, you guys are awesome.


	20. Ugh! Annoyance

**A/N:** Ok, I'm really, really, really sorry for the extra long time it's taken me to update. Not only did I have a bit of writers block, but on June 30th I left on vacation to Lebanon. And then I got stuck there. As you can see I'm back, and I have a longish chapter for you. So I hope you can understand why it took me so long. Anyways, I hope you enjoy. Please R&R, thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Smallville.

**Chapter 20: Ugh, Annoyance:**

Chloe clearly heard the annoying ring of her alarm clock that morning. Still, she didn't want to get up, didn't want to go to school. Going to school meant seeing Pete and facing him was not something she was quite up to at the moment.

After Lex had left that night she had pondered over and over again what he had revealed about Pete's feelings for her. She didn't quite believe it. They were friends, pals, nothing more. She didn't know what to make of it so she had went to bed early.

The alarm clock was still ringing as she finally decided to blindly reach for it to shut it off. Groggily, she opened her eyes to a slit and slowly sat up. Was that Lana standing in her doorway? She rubbed at her eyes and was able to open them a crack. Yep, that was her staring at Chloe while she was sleeping.

"Lana, can you be any more creepier?" Chloe greeted, as she climbed out of bed.

"Good morning to you too," Lana said in her cheerful way, coming into the room to sit on Chloe's bed.

Chloe was very annoyed to see Lana dressed and ready for school. 'Ugh,' Chloe thought. 'I hate morning people.'

Chloe went to her closet and randomly pulled out items, hoping that they matched because she didn't want to put the effort in to check. When she turned around she was very disturbed to see Lana still there.

Chloe let out a frustrated sigh, tossed the clothes onto her bed and sat next to Lana. "Well…"

"Well what?" Lana asked, confused.

"Well… you've obviously got something to say or ask me, otherwise why would your behavior be bordering on stalker-ish?" Chloe replied cheekily.

"I am so not stalking you," Lana defended. Chloe gave her a look. "Ok, but I do have something to ask you."

"Uh huh."

"I know about the fight between Pete and Lex," Lana stated and waited for Chloe to relate the details. She didn't. "What happened?"

"Ugh, you know what I really don't want to talk about it," Chloe told her. But after looking at Lana's earnest, concerned face, she knew her friend wouldn't give up. "But since you don't seem to be leaving I'll tell you the short version."

Lana nodded.

"Lex came to see me last night. Things got a little… heavy and Pete walked in on us. He just attacked Lex. I have no idea why, he just lost it," Chloe conveyed.

"Well I think we all know why," Lana said knowingly.

Chloe took one look at Lana's face and screamed, "Ah! Pete is so not in love with me!" She then proceeded to jump off the bed.

Lana just looked startled at Chloe's sudden outburst. Taking a minute to let Chloe calm down, she finally asked, "So who told you?"

Chloe let out a groan in defeat and flopped back down onto the bed. "Lex. He seems to think the reason why he received yet another black eye is because Pete is in love with me. Which we all know is completely untrue and absurd. Pete has been my best friend for years."

"Yeah that's true," Lana stated gently. "But sometimes situations change, feelings change."

Chloe stared at Lana knowing what she said was true, but not wanting to believe it too. She wanted to change the subject. "Like you and Clark?" Chloe said innocently.

"We're just friends," Lana denied quickly.

"Yeah more like friends with benefits," Chloe snarked, glad she wasn't the topic now.

"Hey!" Lana replied, grabbing a pillow and swinging it at Chloe.

Chloe laughed as she got it smack dab in the face. Lana laughed too as they got into a full on pillow fight.

Their screeching attracted the attention of the just arrived Mr. Sullivan. He came to stand at the doorway, breathing heavily from rushing up the stairs. "I thought someone was dying up here."

The girls proceeded to laugh again.

1111111111111111111111

"So Lex and Chloe are a couple?" Clark asked in disbelief.

"That's what I figure. Though, Chloe didn't come right out and say it," Lana replied, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Hmm…" Clark said thoughtfully. "But don't you think Lex is a little too old for her?"

Lana rolled her eyes. "That's none of our business. Besides it's not the point either. The point is Pete and his feelings. How are we going to help him out?"

"I have no idea," Clark answered eloquently. "But I'm definitely going to have a chat with Lex after school."

"Make sure he's a gentleman and all," Lana joked.

"Exactly. Chloe isn't the kind of girl he usually dates," Clark said seriously. "I want to make sure he doesn't take advantage of her."

"Clark, I'm sure Chloe can take care of herself," Lana defended her friend. "She's a big girl."

"Still… I've got to protect her," Clark replied heroically.

Lana rolled her eyes one more time and then resigned herself to Clark's big brother attitude. "Ok, but make sure to ask about the Pete/Lex incident."

"I will," Clark assured, and then looked down at his watch. "Looks like lunch is almost over. Want to head over to class a little early?"

Lana glanced down at her own watch quickly. "Sure, couldn't hurt. We get to work on our projects today, so we can set up."

"Oh man, biology. I forgot. This should be interesting," Clark commented.

Lana nodded apprehensively.

2222222222222222222222222

"Any chance of you coming over tonight? I don't think I can wait until Wednesday."

Chloe smiled widely as she listened to Lex over the phone. She was sitting in Biology class. She had decided to go early hoping to catch Pete when the phone rang.

"I don't know Lex. I need to see if Pete wants to work on our project first," she replied.

"Pete?" Lex said icily.

"Lex, don't be that way," she implored. "He's still my friend, one of my best. I need to try to work things out with him."

She heard Lex sigh. "You're right. All right, I'll try my best not to come over tonight."

"Thank you," Chloe said gratefully. She hastily looked up when she heard some shuffling. Pete. "Uh... I've got to go. I'll call you later, ok?"

"Sure," Lex said and then hung up.

Pete had moved to a table across from her and wasn't looking at her at all. Chloe sighed rather loudly before she spoke up.

"Umm… You're partner's right here, remember?" she tried.

He didn't acknowledge her whatsoever. She let out a deep breath and picked up all her things. Instead, she settled them on Pete's table. Still nothing.

"All right… can we talk?" she spit out.

He looked up briefly and said, "You've been talking."

Ugh! "All right, can you talk? Because I'm seriously confused," Chloe said, exasperated.

"I've got nothing to say," he said curtly.

"How about explaining what happened last night?" Chloe said angrily.

"I tried, last night, but you kicked me out," Pete said, just as angrily.

"Can you blame me? You had just beat up my boyfriend!" she snapped, absent mindedly, and regretted it just a second later when she saw the look on Pete's face. Hurt.

"Your boyfriend?" he muttered quietly. "You mean Lex-" he stopped short.

"Pete," Chloe started gently.

"No it's ok. You don't have to say anything," Pete replied softly.

The problem was she didn't know what to say even if she could say something. She just stared at her best friend, hopelessly. Not knowing what to do.

3333333333333333333333

"Oh man, watching those two is painful," Clark said, cringing.

Lana glanced at what Clark meant- Chloe and Pete, sitting at their table. They hadn't said a word to each other since the moment Clark and her had come into class and caught the last of their exchange. "It's sad, they've been friends forever!"

"I know," Clark added. "I know it isn't any of our business, but I really feel like we should do something."

"Like what?" Lana asked curiously.

"Well knocking them both over the head comes to my mind," Clark joked.

Lana laughed. "But seriously, should we get involved?"

"They're our friends…" Clark argued.

"All right! Then I've got an idea," Lana agreed.

"Let's here it."

"Just follow my lead after class, all right?"

Clark nodded.

44444444444444444444444444444

"Is everything all right here?"

Chloe looked up quickly, startled by the voice. Mr. Jenkins. For the past forty minutes she and Pete had pretty much done nothing and said nothing.

Chloe was just about to say they were fine when Pete spoke up. "Actually, no. Is there any way we can switch partners?"

Chloe was totally shocked by his question. She stared at Pete, open-mouthed, in disbelief.

Mr. Jenkins frowned. "I'm sorry, that isn't possible. We're half way through the project, what's the problem?"

"Nothing," Pete mumbled, forlornly.

Mr. Jenkins looked at Chloe, but she just shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

"Very well, you've got two options; either stick together and work things out. Or, split apart and each hand in a separate project," he offered.

"We'll stick together," Chloe promptly answered, before Pete could put in his own two cents.

"That's fine," Mr. Jenkins said, and walked away.

Chloe shot Pete a 'What the hell are you doing?' look. Pete obviously didn't respond.

555555555555555555555555

The second bell rang and Lana swiftly grabbed her books and hurried to the door. Clark followed her quickly. They stood there waiting for the last pair to reach the door- Pete and Chloe. Lana quickly stood in their way.

"Umm… Lana could you move?" Pete asked awkwardly.

"Nope," Lana said adamantly.

Pete looked to Clark for help, but he just shook his head.

"We're kind of going to be late for class," Chloe spoke up.

"I don't care! You guys are friends, start acting like it!" Lana raised her voice.

"Whoa, who made you queen for the day?" Chloe snarked.

"What's going on guys?" Clark asked concernedly.

"Nothing," Pete was quick to say.

"Yeah right," Chloe shot at him. "If nothing is everything, then sure."

"Whatever," Pete replied.

Chloe groaned in frustration.

"Shh…" Lana hissed harshly. "Listen. You two are coming with me and Clark after school. If I don't see you two waiting for us on the front steps, so help me, I'll send the cheerleaders after you two saying you have donations for their uniform fund!"

They all looked at her in shock.

After a moment of staring Chloe finally agreed. "Fine, fine, sheesh!"

"All right, can I go now?" Pete said harshly.

"Yes," Lana said, satisfied.

The two walked past her.

"Uh… what do you have planned, Lana?" Clark finally asked.

"You'll see," she told him cryptically.

"But I'm supposed to go see Lex after school," Clark protested.

"Fine you can meet us there," Lana gave in and then proceeded to tell him her plans.

6666666666666666666666666

"Lex, hey!" Clark greeted as he walked through Lex's office doors.

"Clark!" Lex smiled, friendly. "Long time, no see."

"Yeah, sorry about that, I've been kind of busy," Clark apologized, sheepishly.

"With a certain brunette I know?" Lex teased.

Clark visibly blushed, but ignored the question. "Actually I'm here to talk to you about Chloe."

"Oh?" Lex said curiously, as he poured himself a drink.

"Yeah, she's been a bit umm… distracted. Do you, by chance, know what that's about?" Clark inquired, trying to be subtle but failing.

Lex chuckled. "You think I'm distracting her?"

"Maybe." Clark shrugged unsurely.

"Well if the distraction is meant in a good way then I take full ownership," Lex replied cryptically.

"Uh… so you admit you two are seeing each other?"

"Not only seeing," Lex said, going back to his desk. "She's also my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend!" Clark practically shouted. Lex nodded, looking amused. "But she's too young for you!"

"Clark," Lex chided. "Do you really think I'd take advantage of Chloe? I understand she's a bit younger. That's why I want to take things slow."

"Oh," Clark said, feeling slightly stupid. "You really care about her?"

"A lot!" Lex confirmed. "I know it's weird to say now because it's so early, but I can really see a future for us." Lex smiled brightly.

Clark was suddenly very happy for his friend, for both his friends. "That's great!"

"I know," Lex agreed.

Clark was quiet for a second until he remembered he was supposed to ask about something else. "What happened with you and Pete?"

Lex sighed. "I knew that was coming…" He put down some papers and looked at Clark. "I was over at Chloe's when Pete walked in on a delicate moment. He instantly went at me."

"Oh so that explains your black eye," Clark said.

"He's in love with her, and she only sees him in a brotherly way," Lex continued.

"Yeah I knew that part," Clark said absently, starting to think of what to do next.

Lex knew Clark and knew what he was thinking. "Hey don't worry about it. It's not your problem. I bet you've got your own stuff to deal with."

"Yeah, yeah I do," Clark confided. "I'm trying to figure out where to take Lana out on our next date."

"Oh that's easy. The Metropolis annual ball," Lex told him.

"That would be nice, but I couldn't afford to go to that," Clark replied.

"It just so happens that I have four tickets. I'm planning on taking Chloe. And I'd rather give the other tickets to you then my father," Lex explained, and then smirked.

Clark grinned back. "All right. It sounds like fun."

7777777777777777777777

I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Still a bit to go, so I'm not done yet. I'll try to update sooner. Don't worry; I won't take four months again. So leave me a review and let me know what you think. Thanks.

And thanks to all those who did review: **Season Velvet** _(Sorry, here's the next chapter.),_ **jdoodles, Aukima** _(I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter.),_ **reborn, Kitty Black Cat, chloedouble1028, KatieMalfoy19** _(Sorry for the long wait. Thanks for the compliment.),_ **onetreefan, and Kit Merlot.**

Bye.


	21. Grudging Glances

**A/N:** Hi again. Sorry for the long wait. I've been dealing with my university's hellish education program. All I want to do is become a teacher. But apparently you have to jump through fiery hoops to do that here. Anyways… sorry for the rant. Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy. Please R&R! Thanks.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Smallville.

**Chapter 21: Grudging Glances:**

"Man, where is he?" Lana asked, frustrated.

Chloe stared up from her position on the front steps of their school at Lana pacing back and forth. She rolled her eyes at her crazy friend and shrugged her shoulders carelessly.

"Didn't I warn him that he better be here or else?" Lana exclaimed.

"Lana, sit down," Chloe told her, annoyed. "He'll be here. He probably got held back by a teacher or something."

Lana sighed loudly and sat down next to Chloe. "I guess you're right. We still have to wait for Clark anyways."

"Where is he by the way?" Chloe asked suspiciously.

"Um… I'm not sure," Lana lied, unconvincingly.

"Really?" Chloe questioned further.

"Yeah… um… he just said he needed to take care of something um… important," Lana added.

Chloe stayed silent, taking in Lana's unsaid words. "He's at Lex's isn't he?"

"I don't know. And if he is, what's the matter with that? They're best friends," Lana defended, unwittingly confessing to where Clark really was.

"No there isn't anything wrong with that," Chloe agreed and then added harshly, "Unless he's there talking about me!"

"He's your friend, and he was worried about you," Lana pleaded.

"Man!" Chloe exclaimed, taking out her phone. "You can't keep anything private these days!"

She started dialing a number. "Chloe what are you doing?"

She didn't answer; instead she waited for someone on the other end to answer.

"Chloe, hi!" came the warm voice on the other end. Chloe instantly smiled.

"Hey Lex, how are you?" Chloe asked.

"I'm good, good," Lex replied. "So did you change your mind?"

"Hmm?" Chloe said, unsure of what he meant.

"About seeing me before tomorrow?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh, I'm sorry Lex, I was actually calling about something else," Chloe said, apologetically.

"That's ok, what is it?" Lex inquired.

"Did Clark visit you?" Chloe asked unsurely.

Lex chuckled. "Yeah he did. He was warning me to be good to you."

"Man!" Chloe said annoyed. "You'd think _he'd_ know what privacy is!"

"Don't worry about it, Chloe. I cleared everything up," Lex assured her.

"Wait, how many black eyes do you have?" Chloe asked quickly.

"Chloe!" Lana exclaimed in shock, obviously eavesdropping.

"Still two, I don't think I can get many more than that," Lex told her, amused. "Don't worry I explained to Clark and he understood."

"Are you sure?" Chloe asked uncertainly.

"Yes Chloe, he's our friend," he replied.

"Ok," Chloe said, believing him. "Well…. I can't wait to see you tomorrow."

"Me either," Lex said warmly. "I've already got a movie picked out, something called Shanghai Noon."

"Oh Shanghai Noon is awesome!" she exclaimed. "I can't wait until tomorrow!"

"Well she's obviously not talking about math."

"Pete!" Lana shouted. "Nice of you to join us."

"Pete's there?" Lex asked suspiciously.

"Yeah," Chloe answered reluctantly. "Lana's dragging us off somewhere."

"To study!" Lana quickly called out.

"Are we going anywere anytime soon," Pete asked gruffly.

"Uh… Lex, I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" Chloe said quickly.

"I look forward to it," Lex said genuinely.

Chloe hung up the phone with a smile on her face. She turned arount to face her friends.

"Ok let's go."

* * *

"The Talon?" Chloe asked confused. She looked at Lana with questioning eyes.

"This is the big deal?" Pete scoffed.

"No," Lana shook her head. "That's inside." She strode inside without another word leaving the pair to stare at each other disbelievingly before they remembered they were mad at each other. Chloe grimaced then followed Lana inside. Pete sighed loudly and went inside as well.

Once insde he quite surprised to see the Talon transformed. The lights were dimmed. Where tables were supposed to be there wer a set of movie theater style chairs. And right in front of the chairs covering one of the walls was a humongous white screen. On top of this all there was the old fashioned popcorn machine propped up in the back popping fresh popcorn.

"Wow," Chloe said in awe.

"Yeah," Pete echoed.

"You like?" Lana asked happily.

Chloe shook her head. "Uh… it's nice. But Lana if you wanted to watch a movie we could have went to the Smallville theater."

"Yeah, but they don't play the latest stuff," Lana answered.

"I'll admit they aren't always up to date, but they aren't that behind," Pete defended.

Lana walked to the back counter where the movie machine was placed. She lifted a film case up and read the title silently.

"Well I can tell you that not even the theaters in Metropolis are this up to date," Lana added, smirking happily to herself.

"What are you talking about?" Chloe inquired, annoyed. She strode over to Lana and took the case from her. She read the title and her mouth dropped open.

"No way," she uttered. Lana grinned widely.

"What?" Pete asked, not able to contain his curiosity. He walked over to the girls and Chloe, not able to speak, thrust the movie in his hands.

"X-2?" Pete asked in shock. "But this isn't supposed to come out for another five months."

"Yep," Lana agreed. "But I got it!"

"How?" Chloe choked out.

"I got connections," Lana said secretly. "Now are we going to stop talking and wath this X-man?"

"X-men," both Chole and Pete corrected at the same time. They looked at each other and then away quickly.

"All right I'll take that as a yes," Lana said cheerfully. "Now you take the two front seats. I'll get this ready."

"Why do we have to sit in the front?" Pete protested.

"Because I said so!" Lana barked out.

Chloe and Pete backed away slowly from the frightening Lana and did as told.

* * *

Well that's it for now. Just to let you know, it's X-2 they're watching because this takes place around season 2-3, roughly around the time it came out.

Sorry about the shortness. Hopefully I'll update soon.

Thanks for all the great reviews: **fpancha; SeasonVelvet; Kit Merlot; and onetreefan**.

Keep them coming.


	22. My Ways

**A/N:** Hey. Sorry about the wait. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please R&R! Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Smallville. I also don't own anything that has to do with the X-men comics.

**Chapter 22: My Ways:**

Lana sat quietly in her seat watching the movie. She had to admit, she was actually enjoying the superhero flick. But she definitely wasn't enjoying it as much as the couple sitting in front of her.

Chloe and Pete had been cheering and shouting at the movie for the past forty-five minutes. They were the true fans. In fact, they were so caught up in the movie that they didn't hear the Talon doors open, or care when a hint of daylight shone across the screen.

Lana turned in her seat to see Clark come inside. Slowly he made his way to the empty seat next to Lana.

Lana leaned in close to Clark and whispered, "What took you so long?"

Clark had a sheepish look on his face. "Sorry. When I was done at Lex's I went home, just to make sure my mom and dad didn't need help," he explained. "Bad move."

Lana smiled. "Actually I think that was very sweet."

Clark grinned widely. Then, after realizing he was grinning like a fool he cleared his throat and asked, "How's operation friendship going?" He nodded towards the frantic pair in front of him.

Lana indicated for them to move outside. So Clark followed.

Once outside Lana began to relay the afternoon's events, "It was a rough start. Can you believe they actually didn't want to sit next to each other?" Clark chuckled. "After I forced them to get their butts in the chairs and put the movie on it's been nothing but smooth sailing. Though, they haven't directly spoken to each other, they both seem to agree that the movie is pretty awesome."

"That's something at least," Clark agreed. "How did you get a copy of the movie anyways?" He looked at her curiously.

"I have my ways," she said secretly, not willing to say another word.

"Speaking of ways," Clark remembered suddenly. He pulled out something from his back pocket. "I just got two tickets to the Metropolis Annual Ball this Friday. I was wondering if you'd like to go with me. It should be fun in an adult stuffy kind of way. And who knows maybe we'll get to see a famous person or two."

Lana looked from Clark's grinning, expectant face to the two tickets he held in his hands. "I'd love to go with you, Clark. How did you manage to get tickets? I heard it's near impossible to get in to."

Clark smiled widely. "I have my ways."

* * *

"I can't believe it!" Chloe exclaimed.

"That's just… wow!" Pete uttered, practically speechless.

"It was a good movie?" Lana asked.

Pete and Chloe looked at each other, sharing a 'What, are you dumb?' look, which Clark took as a good sign.

"Lana, on a scale of one to ten this movie rates a ten thousand," Pete stated animatedly.

"Wow, that good, huh?" Clark inquired, smiling widely.

"Yeah that good! You guys were here, didn't you watch it?" Chloe said, annoyed.

"Sorry, I guess I'm not really into the superhero type movies," Clark shrugged.

"I don't know, I kind of like the idea of superheroes," Lana announced. "A person with powers who wants to help would be a Godsend in this world today."

Clark grinned widely, liking what he was hearing.

"I still can't believe that they killed Jean," Chloe said dismally. "She's like my favorite character."

"Didn't we settle this already?" Pete asked her, exasperated. "I showed you the shadow thingy in the water. She's not dead, she'll be back."

"That _shadow thingy_, as you so eloquently put it is not conclusive evidence," Chloe argued. "We need solid proof to conclude properly."

"Chloe, it's a comic book movie, not your latest story," Clark stated, amused, causing Lana to chuckle.

"Ah hah!" Pete shouted, earning him some strange looks. He turned to Chloe. "You've read the X-men comics."

"Of course, I'm a fan remember," Chloe said matter-of-factly.

"Well then, can you count on your fingers how many times someone has died and come back to life?" Pete challenged.

Chloe held up her fingers attempting to count. Giving up, she dropped her hands and sighed. "You're right, she's coming back."

"I told you so!" Pete exclaimed.

A silence settled between the four. They all stood there looking at each other. They were almost back to normal. They just needed a little more time. And Clark was going to give that to them.

"So," Clark broke the silence, "Pete, why don't you drive Chloe home while I help Lana clean up?"

"Me?" Pete said suddenly scared.

Lana looked from Clark and then to Pete. "Yeah, yeah I'm going to be here for awhile. So you guys should go."

"I can stay and help you out Lana," Chloe offered quickly.

"Nah, I'm here," Clark spoke up. "You guys go ahead. It will give you guys a chance to talk some more." They threw Clark a menacing look. "About the movie, of course."

"Ok," Pete agreed, not too grudgingly. "That is, if you want the drive Chloe?"

"Sure," she accepted.

"All right, I guess we should go then," Pete told her.

"Ok," Chloe said, picking up her things. "Let's leave and give these guys what they're really asking for."

Clark and Lana shared a confused look.

"What's that?" Pete asked.

Chloe walked to the door. "Some alone, make out time." And then Chloe walked out the door leaving two shocked friends and a laughing Pete behind.

Pete made smooching noises before following Chloe. Both Lana and Clark shared blushing looks before bursting into laughter.

"Do you think we cured them?" Clark asked.

"They'll be friends again," Lana assured. "But if Pete's in love with Chloe well then its still going to be tough."

"I know. As much as I think Lex and Chloe make a good couple, I wish Pete acted on his feelings a long time ago," Clark said.

"Well he couldn't, up until recently Chloe was in love with you," Lana explained. "So can you blame him?"

"No; and she wasn't in love with me, it was just a crush," Clark said sheepishly.

Lana stared at an embarrassed Clark. He was too cute when he blushed. She couldn't help it, she leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"What was that for?" Clark asked in wonder.

"For being adorable," Lana answered.

Clark wrinkled his nose. "Like a teddy bear?"

Lana laughed. "A big strong, cuddly cute teddy bear. Is that better?"

Clark shrugged. "A little..."

"What will make it much better?" Lana asked, grinning mischievously.

"Hmm…" Clark smirked. "How about you kiss the cuddly teddy bear."

"Umm… all right."

Lana moved in close to Clark and he bent down to meet her awaiting lips. The kiss was gentle at first, light. And then the urgency came forth and they kissed hungrily.

"Whoa, Chloe was right!" a voice exclaimed from behind them. The two broke apart abruptly and looked behind them to see Pete. He walked in over to where they had been sitting. He picked up a purse. "Chloe forgot this. You really were trying to get rid of us."

"Pete go away!" Clark and Lana shouted.

* * *

"Thanks for the drive home Pete," Chloe said genuinely.

"You're welcome," he said politely.

They went silent for a minute before Chloe spoke up. "Are we good?"

Pete thought on this for a second before answering, "Always."

Chloe reached over to him, hugging him. "Good. I… I was afraid I was going to lose you. You're my best friend. I don't think I could stand that."

"I'm here," Pete said affectionately. "I'm not going anywhere."

It wasn't how he wanted their relationship to be, but a relationship was better than no relationship.

"I'm glad," Chloe announced. "Hey since you're here, want to work on our bio project?"

"Sure," he agreed.

"Ok, let's go inside!" Chloe exclaimed, giving him a grin that melted his insides. She jumped out of the car.

Pete let his head hit the steering wheel. "Oh man!"

* * *

Well that's it I hope you enjoyed. I'll try to update soon.

Thanks for the reviews: **Patra86** (_Yep, I'm still writing_); **Malu;** and** Kit Merlot** (_Hope Pete was better in this chapter_).

Keep the reviews coming! Thanks!


	23. Waiting

**A/N**: Oops, I can't believe it's been more than a year since I last updated. But, then again, I _have_ been slacking on my updating lately. So, I guess it's not _too_ hard to believe. Well, I'm really sorry about the wait and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please R&R!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Smallville.

**Chapter 23: Waiting:**

"Clark, wait up!" Lana called, as she jogged down the hallway.

Clark turned around and to see Lana rushing to catch up with him. He paused mid-step waiting for her to catch up with him. "Hey Lana, how's it going?"

"Good," Lana answered. They resumed walking at an unusually quick pace for students just going to class. "What's the rush?"

Clark glanced at Lana and saw that she was struggling to hold her heavy books while trying to keep up with him. 

"Oh sorry," Clark apologized. He took some of her books out of her hands. "I guess I just want to get to bio to see how Operation Chloe and Pete went."

Lana grinned. "Well I can tell you."

"Really?" Clark looked at her quizzically.

"Mm hm..." Lana kept tight lipped.

They turned the corner. "Well…"

"I don't know if I should tell you… it's too much fun seeing you squirm."

"Come on Lana…" Clark whined. "I'll give you something if you tell me."

"What?"

Clark stopped them suddenly and took Lana in his arms, kissing her abruptly. Before Lana knew it, the kiss was over and she was left breathless.

"That," Clark answered, smugly. There were some cat-calls and cheering from the passerby's; Clark just grinned, but Lana was still dazed. "Lana…"

She shook her head. "Um… yeah?"

"You going to tell me?" he asked her, placing an arm around her shoulders and guiding them to class.

"Oh yeah… When I got home last night, Pete was there. They were working on their project, laughing and having fun. They were back to normal!" Lana exclaimed.

"That's great!" Clark pronounced. He led them over to their lab bench. They sat down and waited for class to begin. In walked Chloe and Pete chatting animatedly. "I hope it lasts."

* * *

Chloe sat in Lex's movie theater room, which was where she was led to after she was informed that Lex was running late in an important meeting. But she didn't have to wait long. She'd only been waiting twenty minutes when Lex walked into the room looking a bit haggard.

"Chloe," he greeted, smiling brightly when he set his sights on her. "I'm sorry about making you wait."

Chloe smiled back at him as she stood to greet him. Putting her arms around him she said, "Don't worry about it, I wasn't waiting long." 

She looked up into his eyes and frowned. One was yellowish brown, healing after its encounter with a fist; the other was still purple and a little swollen. Chloe brought one hand up and gingerly touched the damaged area. "I'm so sorry."

"Chloe," he began, taking her hand and brushing a kiss across her knuckles. "You have nothing to be sorry for. These are not your fault."

Chloe pouted. "Well I feel like they're at least partly my fault." 

Lex took her hand and led her to the couch. "They're not. But it's funny you mentioned them…"

"Oh?" Chloe inquired.

"My meeting actually did end twenty minutes ago," Lex paused, seeing the confused look on Chloe's face. "My father was grilling me for the past twenty minutes on what happened to my other eye."

Chloe looked amused. "What did you tell him?"

"That I ran into a door," Lex answered.

They both shared a laugh at Lionel's expense.

"So you said you wanted to watch Shanghai Noon? That's one of my favorites. Owen Wilson's in it and he's hilarious!" Chloe said conversationally.

Lex smiled. "Yeah I did. But first I have something for you."

"For me?" she asked confused.

"Yes, for you," Lex assured. "Come with me."

Lex held out his hand for her to take, which she did. "Ok," she said unsurely.

Lex wordlessly led her out of the room and down the hall. He stepped in front of a closed door on the left.

"Ok here it is…" Lex announced as he opened the door for her.

Chloe shot him a nervous look before stepping inside the room. Once inside she was bombarded by an array of colors all around the room in the form of evening gowns on mannequins. But there was only one in the center of the room. It was black, a little low cut with thick straps. The skirt was knee length and full; Chloe just knew if she spun around in it the skirt would flare out around her. All in all it was a perfect dress.

"Wow," Chloe breathed out as she went over for a closer inspection. There was black beading along the neck of the dress, the waist band and the hem of the dress. "This dress is amazing."

"You like it?" Lex asked as he watched her inspect it.

"Like it? I love it. It's beautiful," she announced. "It's for me?" She looked up at him, unsure.

"Yes," Lex simply replied.

"Wow, thank you. But why?" she questioned, still not sure of the dress's intention.

Lex joined her next to the mannequin before answering, "Well I was hoping you'd wear it to the Metropolis Annual Ball, if you'd like to go with me. But it's yours either way."

Chloe choked on a laugh. "The Metropolis Annual Ball! Wow, only the most famous and elite go to that."

"Well now we can add Chloe Sullivan to the elitist society," Lex joked. "So you'll go with me?"

Chloe hugged his arm to her body. "Well I think it's a girlfriend's duty to attend prestigious events with her boyfriend." Lex smiled at the fact that she was referring to them as girlfriend and boyfriend. "Plus," she continued. "I think this could be some serious fun."

"Great!" Lex exclaimed. "It's this Friday. I know Clark and Lana are going to be there. We could all go together."

"Good, I can't wait till Friday," Chloe smiled happily and she looked around the room. "Now what's with all the other dresses?"

"Well, I just wanted to make sure you had the dress you wanted. So just in case this one didn't appeal to you I had backups."

"No, this is the most amazing dress I've ever seen. I don't need a back up," Chloe assured.

"Good. I'm glad I was able to pick the right one."

"Well, who knew I had a boyfriend with an awesome sense in women's fashion," Chloe joked.

"Well I do try to be great in everything," he laughed with her.

* * *

Shanghai Noon had finished and that was when a more involved past time began for Chloe and Lex. Chloe had started it all by placing an innocent kiss on Lex's cheek. This led to some more intense kisses, and then finally to their current position: Chloe straddling Lex's lap as they continued to kiss passionately.

Lex's hands made their way under her shirt to rest on the hot skin of her back. He felt Chloe gasp into their kiss. And Lex pulled back to smile against her lips.

"Chloe," he said his breathing harsh.

Chloe kissed his lips again and then breathed out, "Lex."

"We've got to stop," he groaned out.

Her kisses moved to his jaw line before she mumbled, "Why would we want to do that?"

Lex chuckled his approval at her boldness. But he also knew if he wanted to uphold what he had told Clark- that he wanted to take things slow- he'd have to stop things now.

"Oh man…" Lex groaned, as her touch roamed his chest. "Chloe."

Chloe smiled mischievously at Lex, liking the effect she had on her boyfriend. "Lex."

He caught her eye and said, "We've really got to stop now."

Seeing that he was serious, Chloe pouted in reaction and got off him. "Fine," she said, hurt.

She started to grab her stuff from around the room, while Lex tried to catch his breath.

"Chloe, come on," Lex chided.

"No I'm good, we _had _to stop, so I stopped," Chloe mocked.

The minute she passed by him he pulled her down to him so she was sitting on his lap again.

"Now that I've got your attention," he said in exasperation.

"What?"

"Will you give me a chance to tell you why we had to stop?" he asked trying to hide his amusement at the situation.

"I'm listening," she said stiffly.

"Ok, good," he began. "I respect you a lot. And I respect our relationship. And it's a pretty new one at that. I just thought we could take things a little slow."

"Is this Clark talking? Because if it is, so help him God, I'm going to-" Chloe ranted.

Lex laughed. "No, no. It's me. I care about you, a lot. And I just want to take my time to show you how much."

Chloe smiled for the first time in the last ten minutes. "That's sweet." 

Lex sighed in relief. "So we're good?"

"Yeah we are Lex. Thanks," she told him.

"For what?" Lex asked.

"For being you."

* * *

Well that's it for now, not my greatest chapter, but at least it's a chapter. So leave me a review and let me know what you think.

And thanks to everyone who has reviewed: **volleygal905; Lady Kal-El Lover; Kit Merlot; Malu1; and Nicki-hunny**.


	24. Ball Talk

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait again. Here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy it. Please R&R!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Smallville characters.

**Chapter 24: Ball Talk:**

"So you're going too, huh?" Chloe questioned, when she noticed the Metropolis Annual Ball tickets on Lana's night table.

Lana turned away from her mirror to see what Chloe was talking about. Chloe held up the two tickets and Lana smiled. "Oh yeah, Clark invited me. Are you going too?"

Chloe had to smile remembering the elaborate way Lex had asked her the day before. "Yeah, Lex asked me yesterday."

"Ooh, short notice," Lana winced.

"Yeah," Chloe agreed. "But Lex helped me out. He gave me the most gorgeous dress ever."

"Wow," Lana exclaimed.

Chloe explained most of what happened the night before to an attentive Lana. Her friend was definitely impressed.

"Well, you're definitely one step on me. I have nothing to wear," Lana confided.

Chloe stood up and opened Lana's closet. "What, with all these beautiful gowns you've barely ever worn?"

Lana came to Chloe's side. "I don't know, all these seem girly and kid-ish. I want something older and sophisticated. Something now," Lana iterated.

"In other words something Clark hasn't seen yet that will turn him into a puddle," Chloe stated wryly.

"Exactly."

Both girls shared a laugh.

"Well," Chloe started. "If you want, after school we can go shopping and see if we can't scrounge up some super sexy number to knock Clark out of this world."

"Really?" Lana lit up. "Are you sure you have time? You're not meeting Pete or anything?"

"Pete?"

"Yeah, to work on your project?" Lana elaborated. "I know Clark and I are behind."

"Oh yeah, the project. Pete and I don't have anything really set in stone. We'll probably meet on the weekend or something," Chloe dismissed.

"All right, so right after school?" Lana avowed.

"Yep, right after school," Chloe confirmed.

* * *

"So what's up for tomorrow night?" Pete asked Clark as they jogged down the field.

"Tomorrow night?" Clark asked, confused, concentrating on making it look like gym class was a real drag.

"Yeah," Pete said as if his friend was dumb. "It's Friday night. Party time; I heard Josh is having a huge party at his place."

Clark stopped running. "Oh sorry Pete. I won't be able to go."

Pete stopped too. "What, I'm sure Lana would go too."

"Yeah, but the thing is, we have plans. I asked Lana to the Metropolis Annual Ball," Clark told his friend.

Pete whistled. "That is classy. Those tickets are pricey. Where'd you get them from?" Seeing Clark suddenly become uncomfortable, Pete realized exactly how. "Oh great, another awesome gift, you'll somehow have to pay for later." He started to jog away.

Clark let out a frustrated sigh and started to run after Pete. "It's not like that Pete. Lex had four tickets. He gave two to me and he's taking Chloe."

"Even more perfect," Pete mumbled.

"Pete, you have Lex made out to be this evil guy. But he's really a great friend," Clark tried to intervene.

This time Pete stopped. "His last name is Luthor and as far as I'm concerned that's synonymous with evil. Listen, you guys can all love him. But I don't. I don't even have to be around the creep. So, don't talk to me about him because I don't want to hear it."

With that said Pete took off again, leaving Clark shocked by his friend's strong conviction.

* * *

"Hey Chloe," Clark greeted, as he fell into stride with his friend.

"Hey Clark." Chloe smiled. "Shouldn't you be getting to math class?"

Clark nodded. "Yeah, I've got a minute. I just wanted to let you know I was talking to Pete in gym class."

"Ok…" Chloe prompted.

"And I accidentally let it slip that you're going with Lex to the Ball tomorrow night," Clark answered sheepishly.

Chloe shrugged her shoulders. "So what?"

"Well, he wasn't too happy," Clark stated the obvious.

"Well I'm sorry. I know Pete has a thing about the Luthor's. But he's got to accept that Lex is my boyfriend," Chloe said logically.

Clark lifted an eyebrow at this statement. "Just like he accepts that he's one of my best friends?"

Chloe's look of confidence wavered. "Point taken."

Clark reached out and gave Chloe a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Look, I just wanted to give you a warning. You know, just in case he gives you the cold shoulder or something."

"Thanks Clark," Chloe said.

"I'll see you later. Have fun in chemistry."

"I'll try."

* * *

Chloe had not heard a word Mrs. Coeler had said all through class. That would be part of the reason why Chloe was the only one whose head wasn't in her book. The other part would be because she had been staring at Pete all class and that's why she didn't hear her teacher's instructions.

She was a little baffled. When she had entered her chem. class there was Pete sitting in his usual spot looking totally fine. He greeted her warmly and began a conversation about something he'd heard around school. There was no sign of the animosity Clark had hinted at earlier.

"Chloe?"

"Huh?" she gasped out, startled. In her intent staring, she hadn't noticed Pete's gaze on her. "Yeah?"

"Are you ok?" Pete chuckled.

"No, yes," she said quickly, a little flustered. "I mean… I'm a little confused."

"About what? Which problem are you on, maybe I can help you?" he offered, pulling her notebook away from her. He looked down at the paper. "It's blank. Have you done anything all class? Now I know why you're confused."

"Ha ha," Chloe said sarcastically. She pulled her notebook back. "Not about that. About you."

"I've confused you?" Pete asked.

"Yeah… Clark told me what you talked about… in gym," Chloe explained.

"Oh," Pete said dryly. "So which part perplexed you?"

"The part where you don't seem mad at me," Chloe stated carefully.

Pete just shrugged. "Am I supposed to be? Last I heard, you had a head on those shoulders and you could think for yourself."

"Yeah, but we're talking about Lex, Lex Luthor," Chloe emphasized.

"What do you think I should be doing right now?" Pete asked her.

"I don't know… maybe yelling at me or at the very least giving me a disgusted look."

"Then you don't really believe I'm a good friend," Pete said sadly, shaking his head. "Listen, you're my friend and I care about you. And yes it irritates me that you're going out with that-"

"There it is, there's the look," Chloe interrupted triumphantly, commenting on Pete's scrunched up nose.

"But," Pete ignored her. "It doesn't matter what I think. Even though I think you can do so much better than him. Someone like-"

"Does this conversation have anything to do with chemistry?"

The pair looked up to see Mrs. Coeler standing above them and the whole class staring in their direction.

"Umm… not exactly," Chloe confessed.

"Well then I suggest it ends right now before you two receive detention to make up for your lack of work," Mrs. Coeler said sternly.

"Yes, Mrs. Coeler," Pete said, and then went back to his work. Satisfied, Mrs. Coeler moved along.

Chloe stared down at her paper, not quite ready to get to work. She had one more thing to add to their conversation. Reaching across Pete's notebook she began to write something.

And when she moved her hand away Pete read. "You're sweet."

* * *

"None, of these seem right," Lana pouted to Chloe.

"What do you mean, that eggplant colored one was gorgeous on you," Chloe commented.

"It was pretty, but it just-" Lana started.

"-didn't feel right," Chloe finished, nodding her head.

Lana let out a sigh. "I'm sorry Chloe, I'm being annoying."

"Nah, just a little… anal," Chloe joked, causing Lana to laugh. "It's ok Lana, I understand. The Metropolis Annual Ball is a big thing."

"Very big," Lana agreed. "Do you know who I heard was coming?" Chloe shook her head. "Hillary Clinton!"

"Wow!" Chloe breathed out. "This thing is big."

"Yep. So, now you see my dilemma."

"Girls, did you want to see something else?"

Lana and Chloe looked up at the kind face of Mrs. Francis, the owner of the shop they were in.

"Mrs. Francis, do you have something more… mature and umm… sophisticated?" Lana asked her desperately. "Something you wouldn't really see much of around here?"

"Hmm… that's an interesting request," the older lady said. "Where are you thinking of wearing a thing like that?"

"We were both invited to the Metropolis Annual Ball," Chloe explained.

Mrs. Francis let out a whistle, impressed. The girls looked on surprised by the shop keeper's reaction. "An outing like that deserves something fancy indeed. Come this way, girls."

Chloe and Lana shared a bewildered look before following Mrs. Francis to the back of the store.

"I have a few dresses that just arrived all the way from Milan… very sophisticated. Not sure why I ordered them. They're not something my regular customers would usually pick out, but they sound like they may be your thing."

Mrs. Francis unlocked a door to a storage room and let the girls go in first. "Here they are," she indicated.

There were about ten dresses hanging along the wall all still wrapped in clear plastic garment bags.

"Wow," Lana breathed out.

"I see these are more to your liking," Mrs. Francis inquired.

Chloe looked at her friend's happy smile. "Oh yes, these will definitely do."

* * *

Well that's it, a kind of longish chapter. I hope you enjoyed.

Thanks to al who reviewed: **Stephycats7785; Ooo a jellybean; angelbsb; DarkWolfYingFa** (_what's a chlean?);_ and** Kit Merlot**.

I'll try to update soon!


	25. Ready

**A/N:** Hello all! Sorry for the long wait. I've been kind of busy, went on a trip and then started university again. But, I'm two weeks away from the end of the semester, so I have a little more time now. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please R&R! Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Smallville.

**Chapter 25: Ready:**

"I wish school would end already," Chloe complained and then took a bite of her sandwich, grudgingly. It was only lunchtime.

Clark threw her an amused look, before he could say anything, Lana, on his right, interjected.

"I know Chloe, I just want to go and get ready. Tonight's going to be amazing!"

"It definitely is. And oh my God, the dress you got last night was incredible. Clark, wait until you see this thing. You'll never want to take your off her. It's-"

"Chloe!" Lana protested.

"No wait," Clark finally spoke up. "I think I really want to hear about this dress."

Lana giggled and gave Clark's shoulder a light slap.

"Lana really wants to surprise you. So, I'm forbidden to speak of it any further," Chloe explained, not without rolling her eyes first.

"Hey, it's a really nice dress. I've never worn anything like it. So sue me if I'm really excited about it and want to keep it a surprise." Lana pouted.

Clark leaned in and planted a kiss on Lana's cheek. "I'm sure the dress is great. You make anything beautiful."

"Aww… Clark, you're too sweet," Lana gushed.

When the two started gazing longingly at each other Chloe couldn't take it anymore.

"Ugh! Come on guys, get a room," Chloe cringed.

That got the two to come back to their senses, blushing red.

"Sorry Chloe," Lana mumbled.

Chloe was about to say something when the end of lunch bell went off.

"Yes!" she exclaimed instead. "One step closer to getting out of here."

She hurried out of the cafeteria with Lana and Clark laughing and hurrying after her.

* * *

Chloe stared at herself in the full length mirror. 'Wow,' she thought in awe. She gave into a girly urge to twirl. The little, black dress did flare out when she spun around.

Chloe was amazed; the dress fit perfectly, hugging every one of her curves just right. The black beading detail sparkled when she turned every which way, catching the light and twinkling. All in all it was the perfect dress.

"Wow!" Chloe said out loud, giggling. She felt good. Her hair was curled gently around her face. She had pulled back a section and clipped it back with a red rose. Lana had helped her with her makeup, accentuating her green eyes with a smoky shadow look. And then to top it off she had painted her lips with a shimmery pink color.

Chloe had never looked more beautiful. And she couldn't wait until Lex could see her. She was sure that this was the first time he'd ever seen her so dressed up. Chloe was sure she was going to knock his socks off. Tonight was a night they'd remember.

* * *

"Relax Clark, tonight's going to be great," Lex told his friend, while he looked on amused at his friends antics.

Clark shifted in his seat of the limo they were riding in, clearly uncomfortable. He pulled on the sleeves of his jacket.

"I think I look like an idiot," Clark stated outright. "An idiot in a penguin suit."

Lex laughed. "Clark it's like you've never worn a tux before. But you have, to my numerous weddings," Lex joked.

"Yeah, I know," Clark sulked. "It's just tonight Lana is expecting so much."

Lex sighed. "Clark, Lana is just expecting you. So, relax. It will all be fine."

"Well, I think Chloe's expecting fireworks!" Clark confided. "You should have seen her today. She was ready to ditch everything just to get home and get ready."

Lex nodded, thoughtfully. "Well, I'll do everything in my power to give them to her."

Clark considered his friend carefully. "You really care about Chloe."

"More than you know Clark," Lex assured him.

* * *

"Chloe, Chloe they're here!" Lana exclaimed as she rushed to her friends' room.

"Ok, Lana, I'll be there in a minute," Chloe replied, laughing. She turned around when she heard Lana's arrival. "Wow, Lana you look amazing."

Lana's dress was a shade of beige. But that was all that was ordinary about it. The neck of the dress consisted of a series of gold chains, about twenty of them, going from one strap across her chest to the other strap. They essentially made up the front, top part of the dress. The back of the dress was pretty much non-existent, except for a lone, long chain that hung down the length of her back. And the skirt of the dress was nothing to sneeze at either. It was a long sheath of beige that skimmed the length of her legs. But it was slit open down the front to reveal tufts of canary yellow tulle, mixed with shades of beige silk. All in all the dress had a mix of grown up style and high school prom.

"Thanks Chloe, you don't think it's too much?" Lana asked, suddenly concerned.

"Lana, you were gushing about this dress all day. Don't go all self conscious on me now," Chloe demanded.

Lana nodded. "You're right, we both look awesome."

"And I see you've done a great job on your hair and make up," Chloe commented.

Lana's hair was down around her shoulders, curled, instead of its usual straight. Her makeup was intense; with a navy smoke eye and a plum colored lip.

"Yeah, thanks," Lana said absently. "Now come on lets get downstairs; they're here!"

"Ok, ok," Chloe laughed.

* * *

Sorry about the really short chapter. Just think of this chapter as an introduction to the ball chapter. Oh and someone once told me that they didn't like my description of the clothes my characters wear. Sorry if you don't, that's just the fashion designer in me. I love fashion and designing. And I think the description adds to the story.

Anyways, I'll try to update soon.

Oh and thanks to all who reviewed: **DarkWolfYingFa** _(Thanks for the clarification. I thought it was a Dean/Chloe story but wasn't sure. Yeah I absolutely love Supernatural. I heard somewhere that they were thinking of doing a Smallville/Supernatural crossover episode someday. Who knows, maybe now that we have a season 9 that could happen_);** Ooo a jellybean** _(I liked Lana when she was a regular, but for the few episodes that she came back this season I was just like please just go, go now);_ **mar1985** _(hey, thanks for letting me know. I wasn't sure before.);_ **Kit Merlot** (_we'll see with Pete soon. He'll be making an appearance soon); _and** Lavender** _(I like you're ideas, watch for the next chapter she might just have a cameo)._


	26. Insecurities

**A/N:** Hey all! So, I'll admit it, I have been having some serious trouble getting this story down on paper. I've had some major writers block. I know where I want to go, but it's been hard trying to get there. So, I did a little writing and this was what I came up with last night. I hope you like it, and please forgive it if it's not what you're used to. So, leave me a review and let me know what you think!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Smallville; if I did I wouldn't have let them move it to Friday nights.

**Chapter 26:**

"Mmm…" Chloe murmured happily.

Lex chuckled as he looked down at the girl encircled in his arms. They were on the dance floor, swaying back and forth to the slow music.

"That's a good mmm, I hope," Lex commented, amused.

Chloe lifted her head from his chest to look at him. "The very best," she assured, a bright smile accompanying her words.

She reached up and gave him a quick peck before wrapping herself around him again.

"So, are you having a good time tonight?" Lex asked casually.

"Are you kidding me? I met Hilary freaking Clinton," Chloe exclaimed. "That alone was enough to make my night. Of course I'm having a good time."

"Good," Lex said simply.

Chloe peaked up at Lex shyly when he didn't elaborate. "Are you?"

"Chloe, I'm with you. That's enough to make me happy," he assured her.

Chloe blushed at this revelation and smiled. She snuggled back into him. "I sure hope Lana and Clark are having as much fun as we are."

"Yeah, me too. I've hardly seen them since we got here. I wonder what they're up too."

* * *

"I can't believe we just saw that!" Lana exclaimed, laughing at the same time.

Clark laughed too. "I know… I mean Lionel Luthor and a waitress??"

"Definitely ranks number 1 on my weird and never want to see again list," Lana said, shuddering.

"I guess that's what we get when we choose aimless wandering over dancing and mingling," Clark commented. "Are you sure you're having a good time?"

Lana leaned towards Clark, putting her hand on his arm. "The best, Clark, really."

"Ok," Clark said unsurely. "I know I have two left feet, but I would be more than willing to share a couple of dances with you. I mean, it would be a shame for the only people to see how gorgeous you look in that dress tonight to be Lionel and that waitress."

"Aww Clark," Lana gushed, touching his cheek. "I'd love to dance with you."

Clark smiled brightly, "Good."

* * *

"I can't believe the nights over," Chloe sulked, as they walked into Lex's Metropolis penthouse apartment.

"I can't believe your father agreed to let you stay here for the weekend," Lex mused, shutting the door behind them.

Chloe shot him a wry look. "You know that's only because Lana and Clark are staying here tonight too. And only after we promised to be on our best behaviour."

"Yes, but Lana and Clark aren't here right now…" Lex trailed off dangerously.

It was true; Lana and Clark were off gallivanting around Metropolis, claiming they were in search of something to satisfy their munchies craving. Mostly they both wanted some McDonalds.

"And really, who's definition of best behaviour are we going by," Lex stated slowly, slinking behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, placing his chin on her shoulder. Kissing her cheek, he said, "Because my definition includes you and me…"

He trailed off placing kisses on her neck instead. "Uh huh…" she prompted for him to continue. Turning in his arms, she wrapped her arms around his neck, letting her forehead meet his. Her gaze was fastened to his lovely lips.

"And maybe the couch, and a little of this…" he placed a kiss on one cheek. "And a little of that…" A kiss on the other cheek. "And a lot of this."

He captured her willing lips between his own. She melted into his embrace. This was a perfect end to a perfect evening, just her and him and the couch. It sounded like a plan. Somehow they did end up on that very couch. Without losing contact Chloe found her way into his lap.

She was definitely going to enjoy their evening tonight.

* * *

Lana chewed on a fry while she considered Clark carefully. He was finishing a mostly one-sided conversation with his parents on his cell—his dad doing most of the talking. Clark was frowning at what he heard. But Lana mused that it must have been more than nice having parents who cared and worried about you.

Of course, she had Nell, but she didn't even live with her anymore. Sometimes, she wondered why Nell ever kept her. Why didn't she ever give Lana up for adoption? She'd certainly have a different life than she had now, maybe an even more stable one.

But as she stared at her date that night, she realized that if she had ever been adopted her path may have never crossed paths with Clark's. And not knowing Clark, however mysterious he was, was not acceptable.

Clark snapped his phone shut. "My parents…" he groaned.

Lana smiled. "What's up?"

"Nothing… just had to practically beg to stay here," he elaborated, unhappily. "And get this, they weren't worried about me being here with you or Chloe, but with Lex!"

Lana laughed. "They still suspicious of him?"

"Guess so," he answered exasperated.

They went silent just enjoying the moment, until Lana spoke up.

"This is nice," Lana commented.

Clark looked around their surroundings. They were in a McDonalds enjoying a burger and fries, and getting some strange looks—after all they were in an evening gown and tux.

"Yeah it is," he agreed readily. "The ball was nice…"

"But… a burger and fries is good too," she finished for him.

They shared a quick laugh.

"So, do you think we should head over to Lex's penthouse?" Clark considered.

"Mmm…" Lana replied. 'Maybe we should give them a few more minutes alone."

* * *

Lex was being thoroughly kissed by Chloe. She was moving underneath him on the couch, working magic with her hands on his chest. He didn't want her to stop. He didn't want to stop either. But, there were little protests going off in his head.

First, Clark and Lana would return at any minute. And he was sure Chloe wouldn't want them to be caught in such a compromising position, even if she didn't realize it at the moment. A possible solution was to move into his bedroom. But therein laid the other protest in his head.

They were moving too fast. Chloe was young, still in high school and he vaguely believed that this would be taking advantage of her innocence. He truly cared about her. He did not want to jeopardize their relationship by taking things too far, too fast.

"Chloe…" he murmured against her swollen lips.

Chloe slowly opened her heavy with desire eyes to stare up at him. "Lex…" she mumbled. "I think… I think I'm falling in love… with you."

Her admission hit him in the stomach like a ton of bricks. It did set his hear aflutter, because he was falling for her as well. But there was still the matter of her being so young. Could he really tie her down to him for what could be the years that solidified her identity?

"Lex?" Chloe questioned, her eyes open wide now, waiting for his answer.

He wanted her; he could feel that he needed her. She was all that was good in his life. He never wanted to let her go.

"Chloe," he started, pulling away from her to sit on the couch.

She sat up with him to watch him with unsure eyes. He hated that he was making her feel doubt.

"What is it?" she asked worriedly.

"Chloe I really care about you," he assured her.

But he was sure she was quite conscious of the fact that he did not mention the word love.

"You really care about me," she repeated to herself. "Oh… I see."

He turned to face her, realizing he'd gone and done the one thing he never wanted to do. He'd hurt her.

"No Chloe… you don't see…" he tried to explain. "I really do care about you. But you're still so young. I just don't want you to regret anything one day. I mean—"

"You mean, that I'm some stupid little girl, who doesn't know how she really feels!" she exclaimed angrily.

"Chloe," he tried again. "It's not that. It's just I'm much older than you. I would never want to hold you back."

"You never would have! Because I know you care about me too," she denied.

He shook his head. "Maybe, you won't see it now. But eventually—"

"Where is this even coming from?" she spat out. "We were having such a good time. Is it because… because of what I said?"

He didn't say anything to confirm, but his silence was enough.

"I see," Chloe added, very close to tears. "Do you want to break up?"

Lex shook his head furiously. "No, Chloe no."

A tear slipped down her cheek. "Then what?"

"Can we… can we just take things a bit… slow?" he wondered.

She nodded as she wiped at the tear furiously. "Slow? Ok… I'm going to bed, then."

He watched her get up to leave. "Chloe…" he protested.

She stopped waiting for him to say something, but what was done was done. And Chloe kept on walking.

Lex threw his head into his hands. Why did he have to have this conversation tonight? They were having such a good time and he had gone and ruined it. Now Chloe would forever remember the night as the one where she put her heart on the line and he had wrung it out.

"Oh man," he groaned. He was such an idiot.

* * *

Chloe couldn't stop the tears from flowing. She knew she should stop them, Lana would be home soon and Chloe did not want her to see her like this.

But try as she might she couldn't. She had given Lex her heart and he had not quite stomped on it. But close enough…

She tried to understand his point of view, but all she kept coming up with was that he thought she was a kid.

She was not a kid! Living in Smallville had a tendency of making you grow up fast and she was no exception. What she felt were not kid feelings, she knew. She truly was falling in love with him.

But why did he have to be such an ass about it. Why couldn't he have just said, "I'm falling for you too, Chloe." Now things were weird and awkward and she had no idea what she was going to do about the rest of the weekend.

The door to her room suddenly opened and she made the mistake of sitting up to see who it was. The light from the hallway lit up her face for Lana to see all.

"Chloe, you're still awake! You're… you're crying!" Lana said in shock.

Chloe let out a soft groan and flopped back on her bed. Lana quickly shut the door behind her and came to sit next to Chloe on her bed in the darkness.

"Come on, Chloe, what happened?" Lana pleaded.

Chloe knew Lana would get it out of her sooner or later so she related everything that happened to her. Her best friend listened with sympathetic interjections. Finally, Chloe was done and waited for Lana to give her her advice.

"Well…" Chloe prompted after Lana remained in silence.

"Well…" Lana started wincing a bit. "You are still… young. And he is… older."

Chloe sat up in anger. "So what, should I just end things with him?"

Lana shook her head. "Lex said he didn't want that."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" she asked helplessly. "I mean I gave him my heart and he practically threw it back at me."

Lana let out a heavy sigh. "Take things slow… one day at a time. See how it goes, how you feel later. You'll be better off that way. Sometimes when the heart is involved we just throw our whole selves into it and forget that we are individuals. I think what Lex wants is for you not to lose yourself. And I believe he truly cares for you deeply. Only a person who cares that much would be able to take the time to get you."

Chloe nodded, getting a lot to consider from her friend.

"Sleep on it," Lana ordered. "I'm sure you'll feel better in the morning."

* * *

Well that's it. Not sure when the next update is going to be, hopefully soon.

Thanks to my one reviewer: **Kit Merlot**.

Leave me a review and let me know what you think!


	27. Uncomfortable

_Recap: So, Lex has been pursuing Chloe, much to the dismay of Pete who also likes her. Now Lex and Chloe are together. Last chapter, Chloe confessed to Lex that she might be falling in love with him. Scared that she was too young for him, Lex told her that he thought they should slow things down a little more. Chloe did not take this very well. _

**A/N:** Sorry about the long wait. I'm still having the same issues with this story as I mentioned last time. But, I'm not giving up. This will be completed.

Anyways, give this chapter a read, and let me know what you think! Thanks!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Smallville.

**Chapter 27: Uncomfortable:**

The next morning Lex woke up bright and early. He hoped to catch a minute alone with his girlfriend before everyone else woke up. He needed to know whether they were ok or not.

But it wasn't Chloe who woke up next, but Clark instead. And his best friend was way too happy for his own good.

"Last night was amazing!" Clark exclaimed.

Lex let out a sigh. "Yeah, it was nice."

Clark gave him an "are you crazy?" look, wondering why Lex wasn't just as ecstatic.

"Are you ok Lex?" Clark asked knowingly.

"Ok, is relative," Lex began dryly. "Am I dying from a horrible, incurable disease? No. Did I screw things up with Chloe while trying to do the right thing? Probably. Ironic, huh?"

Clark had no idea what his friend was talking about. But when Chloe and Lana suddenly appeared Clark had a vague idea what was up.

"Good morning," Lana announced cheerfully.

Chloe followed in her friend's shadow and murmured a quick, "Morning," without making eye contact.

"I ordered breakfast," Lex announced loudly. "It should be here soon."

Lana and Clark's gaze went from Lex, than Chloe, and back again.

"That's ok," Chloe mumbled. "Lana and I are going to go shopping. We'll get something on the way."

Lana shot her friend a look, which to Clark said, "Wait a minute!"

But Chloe just shot a look right back at Lana and that seemed to get them on the same page.

"Yeah, shopping… You two have fun and we'll see you later," Lana agreed.

They quickly left the apartment with the two guys staring after them in silence. Clark couldn't resist a second longer and had to finally comment.

"Ok, Lex, what did you do?"

* * *

"So," Lana prompted, as the two sat in the back of a cab on their way to a mall. "You slept on it, what did you decide?"

Chloe let out a heavy sigh. "Not much," she revealed. "I pretty much stayed up all night reliving the whole thing over and over again."

"You know he meant well," Lana assured.

"I know that," Chloe agreed. "It's just… what did he think was going to happen between us if we started dating? I mean, he's the one that initiated all this with the interview and the movie watching and all. He made me really care about him. And he…"

"Really cares about you too, Chloe," Lana tried to soothe.

"But, he doesn't love me, does he?" Chloe questioned.

"That, I can't answer, Chloe," Lana replied.

Chloe nodded. She felt sick; she didn't want to be in Metropolis anymore. "I… I just want to go home."

"Ok, let's head back, we'll pack, and go home," Lana agreed.

Chloe shook her head. "Can you do me a huge favour? I'll owe you forever."

"What is it?" Lana asked warily.

"I think I'm going to the bus station. Can you go back to Lex's and pack for me?"

"Chloe," Lana protested.

"Please," Chloe pleaded. "I just need some time away from him."

Lana didn't think this was the best idea, but Chloe looked close to tears, something Lana rarely saw, and she agreed quickly. "Ok, but I hope you know what you're doing."

"I do," Chloe assured.

* * *

Lex waited impatiently in his apartment for the minute he would hear the sound of the door opening. He was worried. Chloe could hardly look at him this morning. He would shoot himself if he lost her, because he really did care about her. No, more than that, he loved her. Why couldn't he have just told her that?

Was it really because she was so young? She was, that was true. But he also knew she was much more mature than most people her age. She could keep up with him, that's why he fell for her in the first place.

Or was it because he was so scared? Everyone he ever cared about left him. A small part of him wondered if Chloe would be the same. It was the insecure part of him that was hesitating. But he knew Chloe was different She would never intentionally hut him, like he had hurt her.

Man, he was an idiot. He had to fix this somehow.

He heard the opening and closing of the front door. "Chloe?" Lex quickly called.

Lana suddenly appeared looking uneasy. "Nope, it's just me."

"Where's Chloe?" Lex questioned straight away.

"Lex," Lana started slowly, uncomfortable under Lex's intense gaze. She was happy to see Clark join them from inside.

"You're back so soon, where's Chloe?" Clark also wondered.

Lana let out a sigh, hating having to break this to them. "She's on a bus back to Smallville."

"What?" Lex exclaimed.

"She wasn't feeling so good, and she—" Lana tried to continue.

"And you let her go by herself?" Lex shot back angrily.

"Lex," Clark warned.

Lex looked from his best friend to Lana. He was angry, but at no one but himself. "I'm sorry Lana, go on."

She nodded. "She wasn't feeling good and she just wanted to go home. So she wanted me to pack her stuff for her."

"I need to go after her," Lex said quickly, going towards the door.

"Lex, she said she needs some time alone," Lana finished. "She's hurt and she needs time to process. Maybe give her till Monday."

He didn't want to; he wanted to fix things now. But, he also wanted to respect Chloe's wishes. He'd wait until the weekend was over.

"All right," Lex agreed.

* * *

Lana entered the guest room Chloe had been staying in and grabbed Chloe's empty suitcase. She put it on the bed and started to put away Chloe's things.

"She really went back to Smallville?"

Lana turned around to see Clark standing in the doorway. "Yeah she did. Did Lex tell you what happened?"

Clark nodded, coming to sit on the bed. "Yeah, I feel back. I kept telling Lex to be careful with Chloe, to go slow, that she's young. I never thought it would hurt her. He was trying to do the right thing."

"It's not your fault, Clark," Lana reassured, coming to sit next to him. She wrapped both arms around one of his. "Not every relationship is as uncomplicated as yours and mine. I mean, we have no secrets, and we care about each other."

"Yeah, that's true," Clark said trying to hide his uncomfortable-ness.

"But they do care about each other, too, so I'm sure they'll fix things," Lana said confidently. "Now, what do you want to do with the rest of our weekend away?"

"Hmm… I'm pretty sure I can think of something," Clark replied as his arms snuck there way around Lana's waist, causing her to giggle happily.

* * *

Chloe opened the door to her house, weary and tired. She was just glad she was finally home. When she had thought of how the weekend would go she never thought she would be spending hours on a smelly bus to flee her boyfriend.

She let out a heavy sigh, shutting the door behind her. She just hoped her dad was out at the moment; she didn't want to answer any uncomfortable questions. But as she entered the living room it was clear to her from the racket coming from the kitchen that she wasn't alone.

She would have to get this over with sometime. "Dad," she called.

A few seconds later a flustered look Mr. Sullivan entered the living room. "Chloe, your home? I thought you wouldn't be back till Monday?"

Chloe frowned. Not exactly the reaction she was expecting. Then she heard more noise in the kitchen. "Dad is there someone else here?"

"Uh…" he began uncomfortably. "Yeah, I'm on a date."

"Oh man," Chloe groaned. Could this weekend get any better?

"But, honey, are you ok? Did something happen?" Mr. Sullivan asked more perceptively.

"Nothing happened at all," Chloe said, not a total lie. "I don't want to talk about it. I'm going to change and then I'll be out of your hair."

"Chloe, you don't have to go," Mr. Sullivan denied.

Chloe smiled. "Yes I do. No one wants their daughter with them on their date. Besides, I could use some serious coffee. I'll see you later ok?"

She quickly ran up the stairs, happy to be away from the awkward situation.

* * *

Well that's it for now. Even though it's been about a year since I updated, I am pretty happy with how this chapter went. And I know how I, at least, want to start the next chapter. So, maybe—no guarantees—I'll have the next chapter up sooner.

Anyways, thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter:** Amy and Kit Merlot**.

I'll try to update soon.


	28. Gentlemanitis

**A/N:** Hey all! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Smallville.

**Chapter 28: Gentleman-itis:**

Chloe had quickly made her way to the Talon, a place that comforted her. At the moment, it was a place that reminded her of her pre-Lex dating days. It was a reminder of normalcy.

It wasn't that she resented the fact that Lex had essentially made her fall for him and now had rejected her that she suddenly craved those days, it was the fact that before all this she had never known this much pain—she had been oblivious to the intense, burning, knife-piercing pain of a broken heart. Funny, she now realized the feelings she had felt for Clark never even came close to how she felt about Lex.

Going straight to the counter she ordered the strongest coffee possible, hoping it would have the same mind-numbing effects that alcohol would have. Once obtained she found the nearest unoccupied booth and sat down to its instant comfort.

She didn't want to think about anything that happened the past two weeks. But her mind was traitorous and a fleeting thought passed through her mind. Was she being unfair to Lex?

She had been so angry when he had told her they should take things slow. Now that the anger had subsided, did she see things differently?

"Chloe?" a surprised voice called her name.

Chloe looked up to see the equally surprised face of Pete.

"Pete, hey," Chloe greeted, happy to see a friend.

Pete took this as incentive to join her. "I thought you weren't getting back until Monday? Is everyone else back too?" he questioned innocently.

Chloe took a fortifying sip of her strong coffee before responding, "Nope, just me."

She realized a second later that her tone was as bitter as her coffee.

"Really? Even Lex?" Pete fished.

She nodded, not having the voice to elaborate.

Pete leaned across the table and touched her hand gently. "Chloe did something happen? Did… did Lex do… um something?"

Chloe looked up into his eyes, startled by his accuracy that this had something to do with Lex. But then, she realized, she shouldn't have been so surprised, Pete did have an intense hatred for the Luthor's.

She wanted to measure her response carefully, but she found herself blurting out, "No… yes… kind of…"

Pete's reaction surprised her. He slammed his free hand down on the table and practically shouted, "I'll kill him!" while jumping out of his seat.

Chloe held her hands up and said, "Whoa, whoa, calm down. Pete it's not what you think, I promise."

Pete sat down and seemed to simmer. "Then what is it?"

"I… I don't want to talk about. But Lex," she let out a hard sigh, "was a perfect gentleman."

Pete considered her words, while she looked down contritely.

_Maybe too much of a gentleman, she mused dryly._

"Ok…" Pete trailed off, unsure of what to make of this turn of events. "So…are you two still together?"

Chloe looked to the side at the painful question.

"I'm sorry," Pete instantly apologized. "It's none of my business."

Chloe turned back to him. "No, its ok, you're one of my best friends. It's just… I don't even know."

Pete looked at her concernedly. "Chloe, you're worrying me…"

Chloe shook her head and stood up. "I'm sorry Pete; I'm not the best company right now. I'm going to go home."

She hoped her father's date was over.

Pete stood up too.

"Pete…" she started.

"Look," he interrupted. "You don't have to talk it's just I don't want you walking home alone."

Chloe smiled at him. Apparently gentleman-itis was contagious.

"Ok, thanks," Chloe allowed.

They left the busy coffee house in silence. True to Pete's word they didn't talk.

Halfway to her house, though, Pete finally spoke. "I'm sorry Chloe; my mind is racing with a thousand things that could have happened. Are you sure I shouldn't kill him?"

Chloe laughed. "I'm sure Pete. Lex's only crime is trying to do the right thing…"

Pete shot her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

And then Chloe was explaining the entire night to him. Pete's response was quite unexpected.

"Wow," Pete finally said. "So, the guy actually has a decent bone in his body."

"Pete," she said, surprised.

"What, I'm shocked, this is news to me," he said truthfully.

Chloe frowned at him, and he asked, "Is it really so bad what he tried to do?"

Reaching Chloe's house, they climbed the steps to her door.

"Pete… I don't know…" Chloe answered plainly. "It just feels… wrong, what he said."

"Why?" Pete asked. "He was doing the right thing."

Chloe sighed and then finally said what she was feeling. "Because I love him so much. I just want to be with him, that's all. And he's basically telling me to back off. Why? Why would he want me to do that? I… I thought he cared about me too. I… I thought… well, a whole bunch of stupid childish things."

She realized a second later after her outburst that her tears had returned.

Pete quickly enfolded her into his arms. "I'm sorry Chloe."

She let herself be hugged and comforted for a second before she pulled back.

Chloe shook her head. "Lex is right… I am such a kid…"

"Chloe—" Pete tried to protest.

But she back away and turned to the door. She left Pete standing on the doorstep as she went straight to her room to let the tears flow in private.

* * *

Lex snapped his flip phone shut after making arrangements for the trip home for himself, Clark, and Lana. He let out a sigh and sat down at the kitchen table.

Two days after the incident had happened Lex was still kicking himself. But because of Chloe's wishes he had still refrained from giving her a call.

Luckily, they were going home early today, instead of Monday morning. And the minute he got home he had decided he'd be on Chloe's doorstep in a heartbeat.

"Uh uh Lex," a voice startled him out of his thoughts.

Lex looked up abruptly to see that Clark had joined him in the kitchen.

"What?" Lex asked innocently.

"I know that look. You've got to give Chloe time," Clark explained. "You can't just barge in on her right away."

"What are you talking about Clark? I've given her time. I haven't phoned or texted her at all!" Lex protested.

"Lex, come on, you know what I mean," Clark chided.

Lex let out a sigh. He did. "Clark, this is killing me."

Clark frowned. "How about this? When we get back to school Monday, I'll talk to her. Maybe let her know what you're feeling… and get a feel for what she's feeling…"

Lex nodded. "Ok… but can you do that with Lana…"

Clark grinned. "Don't trust me?"

"Well, come on Clark, taking it slow was your idea," Lex said wryly.

Clark conceded by nodding. "All right, I'll check in with Chloe with Lana's help," he agreed.

Lex hoped it would help. Because his next step was to grovel on his knees on Chloe's doorstep.

* * *

Chloe awoke to the sound of the doorbell that Sunday morning, real early. Both her and her father were lazy bones on the weekend and their caller would be hard pressed to get either of them to come to the door. But that didn't seem to stop them.

The doorbell kept ringing and ringing and Chloe knew her father wasn't about to get up to get it. He'd stayed up pretty late with his date. So, Chloe got up, huffing and puffing all the way, ready to give the nuisance of a caller a piece of her mind.

Reaching the door, she pulled it open abruptly and said, "What!" rather loudly.

Pete blinked back at her, startled by her intense reaction and then a huge grin overcame his face. "I forgot you guys were such intense sleepers."

Chloe took in a deep breath and said, "Well now that you remembered, see ya, and good night."

She was shutting the door when Pete's hand got in the way

"If you're not very fond of that left hand Pete, by all means leave it there," Chloe said annoyed.

"Wait a second," Pete protested. "Your up and I'm up and it's a nice morning, why don't we go do something?"

"Because it's like ten in the morning!" she replied.

"Come on," Pete said, giving her a look that she could hardly ever turn down.

"Fine!" Chloe yelled. "But you get grouchy Chloe all day."

Pete laughed. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

"Where are we going?" she asked annoyed.

"It's a surprise," he said mischievously.

* * *

Well that's it for now. Just wanted to say again that I have no intentions of abandoning this fic. It will be finished.

Anyways, jus wanted to say thanks to anyone who's been reading. And thanks to my two reviewers: **Kit Merlot and onetreefan.**


	29. Distractions

**A/N:** Umm… hi… remember me? I know, I know, I'm horrible! I'm the worst updater ever. My excuse: Life. I became a teacher in 2009 and ever since then things have been so hectic. So, yeah, anyways… sorry… I hope you'll enjoy this short chapter. I'm going to try to finish this story soon.

If you're still with me, thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Smallville.

**Chapter 29: Distractions:**

* * *

Chloe looked up the many steps of Smallville's Public Library.

"This is your surprise?" Chloe asked unsurely.

She looked from the library to Pete, back to the library.

Pete laughed at her double take. "Yeah," he said simply. He began to climb the steps; he got half way up before he figured out that Chloe hadn't moved. "Come on, Chloe, there's something I want to show you."

Chloe stared at her friend uncertainly. _What could he possibly want to show her at a library? How could the library be a surprise?_

Pete hurried up the steps, hoping she'd follow; she did. When she made it to the top she found him holding the door for her, waiting.

"Come on, come on," he urged on.

She laughed, his enthusiasm catching. "Ok, ok, I'm coming."

She jogged the rest of the way up, finally catching up.

"Hey Pete," a pretty, dark haired girl greeted him as he walked by her, as she stacked books on a shelf.

Pete stopped in his tracks. "Hi Jenna," he replied, smiling. "How's it going?"

"Good," Jenna replied, blushing slightly.

"Good. Hey, is Mrs. Spencer here?" he asked her.

"Yeah, she's in the back," Jenna answered.

"Thanks, I'll see you in a bit," he offered.

Pete continued walking deeper and deeper into the library. Chloe followed him on his heels, completely confused.

"She's cute," Chloe observed.

Pete shrugged, shooting her an uncomfortable look. "Yeah, I guess."

Chloe was fed up with the lack of information. "Pete, stop," she said firmly.

He instantly stopped in his tracks. He turned around to face her, a completely innocent look on his face.

"Explain," she demanded.

Pete let out a sigh, shaking his head. "I forgot, you hate surprises…"

"I don't," Chloe argued.

"Not true…" Pete laughed. "You hate them, I know you do… don't deny it."

"Ok," Chloe laughed. "I hate surprises, so just tell me."

Pete took her hand and led Chloe further back. "I've been here all weekend getting some help from Mrs. Spencer, the librarian."

"Help with what?"

They were now in front of a door that probably led to a storage room. He pushed open the door and called, "Mrs. Spencer, are you back there?"

"Pete? Yeah, come on back," a woman's voice called back.

Chloe raised an eyebrow at her friend, before following him through the door. There was a bit of a corridor before they entered a room. The room was occupied with an elderly lady, librarian type, who, Chloe assumed, was Mrs. Spencer.

"Pete, hello," Mrs. Spencer greeted. "Is this your science partner?"

Pete nodded and Mrs. Spencer approached Chloe. "It's good to meet you Chloe, Pete's told me a lot about you."

"Uh…" Chloe said, taking the woman's hand. "It's nice to meet you, too."

"So," Mrs. Spencer said excitedly, addressing Pete, "Should I show Chloe what we came up with this weekend?"

"Definitely," Pete said enthusiastically.

"All right," the librarian said. "Chloe, dear, come stand over here."

Chloe, still unsure, did as told.

"Ok, now pull this sheet off," Mrs. Spencer asked of her.

For the first time, Chloe noticed the table in the room that had something bumpy on it covered by a beige sheet.

"Ok," she replied.

She grabbed the edge of the sheet and pulled it off. Underneath she got a very welcome surprise.

"No way!" Chloe exclaimed.

"Yep," Pete stated proudly.

Chloe's eyes widened as she stared at a huge model of the tectonic plates. They'd been talking about making one, they'd even started, but they'd gotten nowhere near this.

"Wow, Pete, Mrs. Spencer this is awesome!" Chloe congratulated.

"Flick this switch, Chloe," the woman urged.

Chloe took the switch and flipped it. She watched on as the two plates moved to hit each other.

"See, it's an earthquake," Pete said unnecessarily.

"You guys did this for our project?" Chloe said disbelievingly.

They nodded.

Chloe was overwhelmed by the gesture. While Chloe was having 'fun' in Metropolis, Pete was here doing their project for them.

Taking Pete by surprise, Chloe engulfed her friend in a big hug. Pete hugged her back after a moment's hesitation.

After a minute, Chloe pulled back. "Thanks Pete, Mrs. Spencer," Chloe said weakly. "But I'm not sure I feel comfortable putting my name on this."

"Why not?" Pete protested.

"Because… I didn't do anything," Chloe replied obviously.

Pete shook his head. "Not true, you did the report part. That was definitely something."

"I don't know…"

"Trust me Chloe, we're going to do awesome!"

* * *

Chloe stared straight ahead as she walked home that afternoon. There was a faint smile on her face. She was happy she'd let Pete drag her out early that morning. Seeing her high school science project was another shot of normalcy that she needed at the moment. It seemed to remind her that she _was_ young, and there were important young people things out there for her.

"Admit it," Pete gloated from her side. "You liked your surprise."

She smiled at him. "Of course I liked it."

"Good," Pete said, grinning at her.

They went silent again. The silence was only broken when Pete blurted out, "So… feel better?" Concern was prominent in his voice.

She gave it a moment's thought. Yes, she was still sad and angry, but it wasn't all consuming like before.

"Yeah," she said truthfully.

"I'm glad," he added. "Chloe, Lex—"

_Whoa! Where did Lex's name come from?_

"Pete, I don't want to talk about him right now," she said cutting him off.

He held up a hand urging her to wait. "Here me out, first, ok?"

Pete knew her; he wouldn't aggravate her further if she didn't really have something important to say. She nodded reluctantly for him to go on.

"You know, I'm not Lex's biggest fan—"

She let out an unfeminine snort; understatement of the century. Pete shot her a look and she quieted down.

"I'm not, but… I see where he's coming from and I honestly think that his backing off isn't about him not caring about you. I think it's about him caring about you too much."

"Pete—" Chloe began uncomfortably.

"He's trying to protect you. You're still in high school, Chloe, you _are_ young. And maybe he's just worried that he's tying you down before you've done so many things."

Chloe's mouth dropped open. This was the last thing she ever thought would come out of her friend's mouth, a defense of Lex.

"Maybe you should talk to him?" Pete suggested. "Give him another chance to explain…"

_Ok, was she hearing right?_

"Don't get me wrong, I'm still not his biggest fan. But you like him," he continued, "That has to say something about the guy."

"Yeah?" she said unsurely.

"So, what are you going to do?" Pete asked.

Chloe had no idea.

* * *

Well that's it for this chapter. I think a couple more and then we'll be done. I hope you enjoyed. Comments would be much appreciated!

Thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing: **g-love78 and Kit Merlot.**

Also if you're interested in reading stories about the show Criminal Minds, I have written quite a few under my other penname: Flames101. Check them out if you'd like.


	30. Forgiveness

**A/N:** Hey all. So this is it, the final chapter! After eight long years, I'm done. I'll admit, this isn't exactly how I wanted to end it, but I don't have any more time to invest in this story. And I really don't want to leave you all hanging for another eight years. Lol. So, for now, it's the end (maybe with an epilogue in the future, tying up all the loose ends). Let me know what you think! Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Smallville.

**Chapter 30: Forgiveness:**

* * *

"Ok, Clark, remember to let me do all the talking," Lana reminded him that Monday morning.

Clark groaned out loud. Why did everyone think he couldn't talk to one of his best friends?

"All right," he said grudgingly, knowing this was also Lex's wish.

He followed Lana to the Torch office, both knowing that was the most likely place that they'd find their blonde friend before the school day begun. And there she was, clicking away at a computer, face sitting in her hand. She looked… dejected.

"Morning, Chloe," Lana greeted cheerfully, startling their friend.

Chloe looked up from her work to glance at them warily. "Hi guys, what's up?"

"How are you feeling? You know, after the whole Lex thing?" Lana wondered out loud.

Clark looked at his girlfriend, surprised. He thought she'd ease into it, not be so forthright. How was Lana doing a better job than him?

Chloe let out a sigh. "You guys, too? Why does everyone think I want to talk about Lex?"

"Everyone?" Clark asked, confused.

Lana shot him a glare. _Oh right, _he wasn't supposed to be talking.

"Everyone?" Lana echoed.

"I already had this conversation with Pete," Chloe informed.

"And…" Clark prompted, earning him another look.

"_And…_" Lana said pointedly.

Chloe looked between the two, giving them a strange look. "You guys ok?" she asked and then shook her head. "Never mind…

"_And…_ I've been thinking…"

She trailed off. God this conversation was like pulling teeth.

"Chloe," Clark began in frustration. _This was ridiculous!_ "Lex feels horrible. He really was trying to do the right thing. He didn't mean to hurt you. He just… really cares about you!"

Lana was glaring at him. And Chloe was just staring. _Oops, now I've done it._

Chloe breathed out. "That's what Pete said, too."

Clark beamed. _They were a couple of smart guys,_ in his opinion.

"I just…" she continued. "I don't know what to do. I love him. I do. I want to see him… But what happens the next time he feels like doing the right thing? I don't… I don't want to be hurt again…"

Clark sat back, not knowing what to say. Lana was giving him a look as if to say, "Now what, buddy?" But he was happy to let her take over again.

"Aww sweetie… you need to talk to him. Let him know just that… You're scared, but so is he. I don't think Lex has ever been in love before…" Lana confided.

Chloe's eyes widened at that. "You think he loves me?"

Lana nodded emphatically. "Yeah, why else would he be acting this way?"

"I… I don't know," Chloe hesitated.

Clark let out his own sigh. "Talk to him, Chloe. Lex really is a good guy."

Chloe smiled involuntarily. She nodded. "I'll umm… think about it."

With that, both he and Lana stood up and exited the room. Just outside the door Lana stopped him with a hand on his arm. When he turned around to give her a quizzical look she planted a kiss on his lips.

He pulled back smiling. "What was that for?"

She smiled at him. "You really are a great guy."

* * *

Chloe didn't know what she was doing here. She'd set out after school and had let her feet do the walking, brain occupied with other things. But now she stood at the gates to Lex's mansion, staring up at the foreboding building.

The second she realized where she was, she turned on her heel and started marching the way she'd come. _No way,_ her brain screamed at her. There was no way she was doing this now. If she saw him… well she had no idea what she'd say, first off. She had no idea if she even forgave him for what he'd done. No, this was a mistake. This was—

"Miss, what are you doing down there?" a voice crackled over the security system intercom.

Chloe whirled back around, startled. Before she knew what was happening her mouth opened. "I'm here to see Lex. I'm Chloe Sullivan."

The minute the words were out she clamped a hand over her mouth. The gates clicked open. What had she done?

"Miss. Sullivan, Mr. Luthor is waiting for you…" the man informed.

_Crap!_ She couldn't run now.

* * *

Lex paced the floor in front of his desk. Chloe was here! She really was here! He'd received a text form Lana earlier that day saying Chloe wasn't mad anymore, more like confused. He'd thought that that might mean she'd be receptive to his explanation when he gave it. He had no idea that it meant she'd be coming over. If he'd known maybe he would have had roses and diamonds waiting for her.

He chuckled at himself. Yeah, she deserved those things, but he knew she'd only frown at the gesture.

He didn't have to wait much longer. There was a knock at the door and his assistant poked his head in.

"Mr. Luthor, Miss. Sullivan is here to see you," the man informed.

"Please, see her in," Lex answered formally.

On the inside he felt anything but formal. He was so nervous. Was she here to end things with him permanently? Oh God, he didn't know what he'd do if that were the case. A million thoughts went through his mind. But a second later his mind drew a blank when she suddenly was there, in front of him.

He could not read her expression. She wasn't smiling, but she didn't look like she hated him either.

"Chloe," he said her name tentatively.

She held her hands up to either side of her. "I don't' know why I'm here, Lex."

He nodded his head, taking a step towards her. "I understand," he began. "Maybe… maybe you can hear me out?"

He watched her, waiting for her answer. No other girl had ever made him feel this way. As if her answer would make him or break him. It was strange to feel like you happiness rode on one single answer.

She let out a sigh. "I'm here, I guess I should."

Happiness flowed through him. It wasn't over, not yet. He took her hand into his and led her to one of the two chairs sitting in front of his desk. He took the other, not relinquishing the hold on her hand.

"Lex," she began warily.

"Chloe, I don't know where to start," he let her know, ignoring her brief protest.

"Why don't you tell me how you feel about me?" she answered for him. "You know how I feel… I love you…"

He watched her blush brightly. He leaned forward in his seat to let his free hand reach out to cup her face. He hated that he'd made her feel embarrassed about her feelings for him. His thumb caressed her cheek and he felt her lean into his touch.

"Lex…"

"I love you, Chloe."

Her eyes widened at his admission. And she pulled back, away from his touch. "Then why—Why didn't you—I don't' understand…"

She was obviously aggravated.

"I'm sorry, Chloe," Lex told her, regretfully. "I really thought I was doing the right thing."

"How is not being with me the right thing?" she asked incredulously.

He chuckled. "Honestly, as I'm looking back, I have no idea what I was thinking… Maybe I just thought that you're too good for me… and I wanted to give you a chance to let you realize that… Because you are, Chloe, you're way too good for me."

She blushed again. "I don't know about that, Lex…"

He nodded his head. "Can you forgive me?" he asked anxiously.

Chloe went silent at his question. She stared at him intently. He could see the wheels turning in her head. Wondering if he really did love her… if he would ever hurt her again… Wondering what their future could be…

"Yes," she breathed out.

He smiled brightly at that. He had one more question for her.

"Can you take me back?"

Her answer was just another simple, "Yes," punctuated with one sweet kiss.

* * *

The end.

I know, I know, it was a rushed ending. What about Pete? What about the project they've been working on? How about Lana and Clark? I know, I've left a lot hanging, and I would love to end this right. But for now… This is it. And maybe in the future (the coming summer holidays, perhaps) I'll edit it and add that epilogue.

Thanks to everyone who has been following this story, giving it a chance. I really appreciate it! Over the years I had a lot of great reviews from a lot of great people Thank you!

And thanks to **Chris-Sasmi-Bunny** for reviewing the last chapter. :)

Hope to write more in the future!


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